Real Madrid

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"I'm not returning to Lyon to lose"

Mahamadou Diarra is returning to his former stomping grounds for Real Madrid's Champions League debut. One of five new Madridistas to join the Club this summer, the Mali native is looking forward to playing at his former home against his old teammates. According to Diarra, "It's a lot different now because I'm playing for Real Madrid. One thing is for certain, I'm not returning to Lyon to lose," he said in an interview with Realmadrid.com and Realmadrid TV.



How do you feel about returning to play in Lyon?
I am really happy because I'll be around excellent players and former teammates. And, I'll also be back in Lyon, where I can speak a little French and see a lot of old friends who live there.
Real Madrid played a very poor match there last year against a really good Lyon side. Who is the best Lyon player in your opinion?
Well, I see it a little differently now that I'm playing for Real Madrid and not Lyon. They are a strong team and it's hard to pick just one player. We know what we have to do to shock them.

What do you think the final score will be?
It finished 3-0 last year, and this year will be tough as well. It's hard to throw out a score. One thing is for certain, I'm not returning to Lyon to lose. I understand French football, and I know what we have to do in order not to lose. We can pull of a shocker.



Have you spoken to your former coach or any of your ex-teammates?
I've sent a message or two, but not about the game. I have some great friends at Olympique, but we haven't spoken about the game.

Are you pleased with your performance against Levante?
Defending is really important to me, but what's more important is that the team wins. It's a long season and I need to improve my football. They scored a goal on us, and we have to use those mistakes as a learning tool so that we don't repeat them.

You have lived in Madrid for several weeks now. How do you feel about it?
It's a beautiful city and the people are very pleasant. I still haven't had the chance to see a lot of it, but I've really liked what I have seen.



How do you think fans will respond to your return to the Gerland Stadium?
I don't know. This is football. Perhaps some will clap for the four years I played there, but I'm not sure. I need to focus on the match and not worry about anything else.

What does Madrid need to do to pull off the win?
We need to be mentally strong and use our team's unity as a weapon. Lyon are a strong, fast team. We cannot make any mistakes, and we need a little luck as well.

Can Real Madrid win the Champions League?
Of course we can! Anything can happen in football. Our chances are pretty good.

Capello or Houllier?
They are very different, but I'll stick with Capello. I used to watch him on television when I was younger. He's a coach that really emphasises technique.

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"I have a lot of faith in this team. We are working very hard in order to improve"

Real Madrid's right back defender talked to the press after training. He said they all played badly in the match against Lyon, but that they are all "working hard to improve" and that "better matches will come." "We have an intelligent coach that will help us improve," added the Brazilian player. Cicinho knows that next Sunday's match will be the first chance for them to show their imrpovement.

What would you like to say to the fans after yesterday's performance?
I want to ask them to be patient and to have faith in us because the season has just started. The best matches will soon come. I want to ask them to stay calm because we are going to improve a lot.
People have been growing more and more impatient these last three years.
For us this is very hard. Every time we lose a match, we have to talk to the press and apologize for our performance. This is an intricate part of our lives. Nevertheless, we know how strong we can be as a group, and we have an intelligent coach that is making us improve.

The team was very slow.
We didn't play well and Lyon did. The better team won the match. We tried, but Lyon stepped onto the field more motivated. We missed too many passes and they managed to make us feel insecure throughout the match.

Did Capello tell you not to attack too much?
The coach likes wingers to stay put in defence and to attack whenever it is possible to do so. Yesterday wasn't one of my best games, but I tried to defend the best I could.

Everyone talks about the defensive strength of the team, but yesterday there was no such thing.
We have a very strong defence, but sometimes, like last night, things don't turn out well. Neither we nor the coach are happy with yesterday's performance.



What did the coach tell you after the match?
He said we shouldn't worry too much because these things happen in football all the time. He said we have to hold our head up high because we still have many games ahead of us.

There are many rumours concerning your departure from the team.
I don't want to leave, I want to stay here. Many things are being said, but Mijatovic told me before the closing of the signings market that he wanted me on the team. Two teams made offers, but I stayed.

How do you think the crowd will react on Sunday?
We have to win because the fans expect us to.

Ronaldo is back on the team.
Yes, we're very happy. He will be ready to play in no time.

Before the match, the President said that you are favourites to win the Champions League.
I have a lot of faith in this team and we are going to work hard in order to improve.

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The new pic 2006/07

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The 2006-07 Real Madrid was officialised this morning before the closed-door session scheduled at the Santiago Bernabéu. The team posed for the official 2006/07 season photo, an image authored by Real Madrid CF's staff photographers and that will be seen the world over.





Everything was well ready on the turf of the Santiago Bernabéu before 10:00 am, the scheduled time for the photo. On the one hand, the stalls where the 4 different rows of players, staff and directors line up and which were placed facing westward, that is, with the Presidential Balcony as a backdrop. On the other, an improvised studio situated on the turf right in front of the stadium's South stand and delimited by four floodlights. This is where the players would pose for their individual photos. The set for these photos included four 500-watt studio light flashes. The three, 6,000-watt HMI floodlights which are typically used in film-making and TV would be used for the squad photo.
Top-notch technology
Japanese imaging speciality firm Canon made all the latest in digital photography available to Real Madrid for the official 2006-07 squad photo. The image was taken with an EOS 1 Ds Mark II, a 16.7-megs camera featuring a 50-millimetre F 1,2 objective, the latest Canon model worldwide and the only one in Spain as of today.



While the photographers busied with last-minute preparations, the local dressing room of the Bernabéu saw the players getting spruced up and dapper for the photo in their official kits, although the morning was somewhat chilly.

The first one to step out onto the pitch from the players' tunnel was Ruud Van Nistelrooy. The Dutch striker is delighted to partake in all that surrounds being a Real Madrid player, something which is quite obvious even in the smaller of details. He was followed by Casillas, who was the first to pose on the individual photo set. An so on, with the likes of Emerson, Beckham, Robinho, Cannavaro...



After the photos, some players wanted to check out how they looked on the camera of our colleague Ángel Martínez; Ruud take a good. close look at his photos. He didn't like them that much and decide to sit down again and try better luck. He was satisfied with the second round of pictures. The good atmosphere among the whole squad was latent all throughout the morning and all players joked around at different points of the event.

Arrival of Club directors and staff
Honourary Club President Alfredo Di Stéfano turned up at 10:35, just minutes after Fabio Capello and his technical coaching staff. After, all parties chatted for a while, it was the turn of the coaching taff and the Honourary President to take their individual photos. Ten minutes later, President Ramón Calderón and Sporting Director Pedja Mijatovic followed suit. Everyone had been photographed.



The President spoke a few minutes with Ronaldo and asked him about his recovery. Then, all players, coaching staff and directors took their place for the official photo. As we mentioned earlier, it was a chilly morning in Madrid, so it was still a few minutes because the players had to take off their sweatshirts. The bottom row featured Di Stéfano in the middle, flanked by the team captains; the second row included the President, the Sporting Director, the coaching staff, the physios and the maintenance staff, while the remainder of the squad sat on the third and fourth rows. It only took seven attempts to get it just right. The Real Madrid 2006-07 squad already have their official photo, which will be available in just a few days time in all Real Madrid official outlets. Once the show was over, the players prepped up for the first of the two trainings in preparation for the Sunday 9 pm CET home League match against Real Sociedad.

OFFICIAL 2006-07 PHOTO


First row (sitting down, from left): Álvaro Solano (physiotherapist), Reyes, Robinho, Cassano, Raúl, Di Stéfano (Honourary President), Guti, Roberto Carlos, Salgado, Cicinho, Juan Muro (physio).

Second row (standing, from left): Daniel Martínez (physio), Santiago Lozano (assistant physical trainer), Massimo Neri (1st physical trainer), Toni Grande (2nd assistant coach), Pedja Mijatovic (Sporting Director), Ramón Calderón (President), Fabio Capello (Manager), Italo Galbiati (assistant coach), Franco Tancredi (goalkeeper trainer), José Luis San Martín (recovery specialist) and Pedro Chueca (physio).

Third row (from left): Raúl Bravo, Diarra, Cannavaro, Beckham, Ronaldo, Van Nistelrooy, Emerson and Sergio Ramos.

Fourth row: Mejía, Helguera, Diego López, Iker Casillas and Pavón.

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The squad prepare for this Sunday's match against Real Sociedad in a closed-door training session

Today was the first of the two closed-door training sessions prior to Sunday's match against Real Sociedad. At the Bernabéu, Fabio Capello devised a workout that focused on pushing forward down the wings and shooting on goal.





Today's closed-door training session was held at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, while tomorrow's will take place at Real Madrid City. The Whites train in this fashion way two days in a row in order to concentrate harder while preparing for Sunday's match. The team don't want to lose any more points against the necessitated Real Sociedad at the Bernabéu. The Basque team have only managed to win one point this season so far.
The men were divided into two groups. The players who started the match against Olympique Lyonnais worked on speed and change of pace under the supervision of physical trainer Massimo Neri. The rest of the squad started doing ball control exercises prior to working on pushing forward down the wings and shooting on goal.





Once again, it was evident that Ronaldo is closer to making the teamsheet. For the second day in a row, he has demonstrated that his operated left leg is as strong as his right. The Brazilian striker is now working hard in order to recover his good physical form after he was operated on July 15.

On the other hand, Salgado keeps recovering from his niggle. As in yesterday's training session, his workout was based on running exercises. He feels less pain every day.

NEXT TRAINING SESSION
Saturday 16 September at 11 am CET, behind closed doors at Real Madrid City.

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"We have to be patient. This has only just started"

Real Madrid's Sporting Director, Pedja Mijatovic, wanted to calm fans down after the defeat against Olympique Lyonnais in an interview to Spanish sports journal As. Mijatovic said that the problems the team has are typical of the stage the season is at, during which, players aren't in their best form. He said this will soon end and that the team will be successful again.





Pedja Mijatovic, Sporting Director of Real Madrid, talked to the press after his team lost in Lyon. Mijatovic thinks that what happened in France is normal at this stage of the season, and is convinced that the team will soon get better results. "Of course this can be fixed. We have just started the competitions and the players aren't fresh enough after having played such a long pre-season."
The Sporting Director stands firm on his position. He is convinced of the success the sporting project he directs with coach Fabio Capello will earn. "We have to give Capello our full support," said Mijatovic. "Some people may not like his style, but we have to be practical. I'm sure Fabio will take us to Cibeles Fountain this year."

Faith in the players
Mijatovic supports those players who aren't living their best professional moments. "It's true Emerson wasn't at all perfect in Lyon, but one has to know him. It usually takes him a while to be in optimum form, but he is going to prove essential for the team. Raúl has had three very bad years, like the rest of the team, but Capello has seen that he is a different player now. He played with excitement and ambition during the pre-season."



Real Madrid's Sporting Director wanted to end the interview talking about Ronaldo and the importance the striker will have in the team this season. "Ronaldo is anxious to play and will supply Real Madrid with whatever they may need." Mijatovic is convinced that lining up Ronaldo and Van Nistelrooy together will be very successful. "Capello always lines up two strikers in his teams. This season, Van Nistelrooy will be Suker and Ronaldo will be me."

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"I have a lot of faith in this team. We are working very hard in order to improve"

Real Madrid's right back defender talked to the press after training. He said they all played badly in the match against Lyon, but that they are all "working hard to improve" and that "better matches will come." "We have an intelligent coach that will help us improve," added the Brazilian player. Cicinho knows that next Sunday's match will be the first chance for them to show their imrpovement.





What would you like to say to the fans after yesterday's performance?
I want to ask them to be patient and to have faith in us because the season has just started. The best matches will soon come. I want to ask them to stay calm because we are going to improve a lot.
People have been growing more and more impatient these last three years.
For us this is very hard. Every time we lose a match, we have to talk to the press and apologize for our performance. This is an intricate part of our lives. Nevertheless, we know how strong we can be as a group, and we have an intelligent coach that is making us improve.

The team was very slow.
We didn't play well and Lyon did. The better team won the match. We tried, but Lyon stepped onto the field more motivated. We missed too many passes and they managed to make us feel insecure throughout the match.

Did Capello tell you not to attack too much?
The coach likes wingers to stay put in defence and to attack whenever it is possible to do so. Yesterday wasn't one of my best games, but I tried to defend the best I could.

Everyone talks about the defensive strength of the team, but yesterday there was no such thing.
We have a very strong defence, but sometimes, like last night, things don't turn out well. Neither we nor the coach are happy with yesterday's performance.



What did the coach tell you after the match?
He said we shouldn't worry too much because these things happen in football all the time. He said we have to hold our head up high because we still have many games ahead of us.

There are many rumours concerning your departure from the team.
I don't want to leave, I want to stay here. Many things are being said, but Mijatovic told me before the closing of the signings market that he wanted me on the team. Two teams made offers, but I stayed.

How do you think the crowd will react on Sunday?
We have to win because the fans expect us to.

Ronaldo is back on the team.
Yes, we're very happy. He will be ready to play in no time.

Before the match, the President said that you are favourites to win the Champions League.
I have a lot of faith in this team and we are going to work hard in order to improve.

[Rasputin]

Real Madrid are closely following up on the health status of one of their brightest stars

Ferenc Puskas, Real Madrid's most left-footed player and top-scorer, has been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Kútvolgyi Hospital, in Budapest, where he had been for many years now due to that treacherous disease called Alzheimer's. Immediately after hearing of Puskas' worsening, Real Madrid have been following up on his condition with great concern. As wonderful a person as he was a player, he was known as 'The Galloping Major' or 'The Cannonball' in Spain due to his scoring capacity and his powerful strike of the ball. He was famous worldwide for leading the Hungary team of the 'Magical Magyars' to the World Cup final in 1954.





Puskas was a footballer of worldwide renown whom Santiago Bernabéu signed when he was 31 years old, overweight, and right after a 2-year suspension after fleeing his native country, Hungary, for which he even served as "ambassador".
Since the very first moment that Puskas was admitted to the hospital, Real Madrid was frequently in contact with him, his wife Elizabet, and his daughter Anika. In August 2005, the Hungarian player received a very special visit in his hospital room. Di Stéfano, Amancio, Santamaría and Antonio Ruiz spent some unforgettable moments with their friend and former team-mate. The glorious time they spent together at Real Madrid marked an era and has gone down in history as the Club's best.

While he is still living, it would be highly praiseworthy if international and Spanish sporting organisations, the Hungarian FA and the Spanish FA –Ferenc was capped four times with Spain- FIFA, and UEFA scheduled a number of acts to honour this one-of-a-kind footballer. We are sure that Elizabet and Anika would greatly appreciate and feel proud to receive these signs of gratitude and generosity.



During the tribute that UEFA paid to Real Madrid on the occasion of the European Cup's 50th Anniversary, Puskas was amongst the publically recognised and awarded players for being one of the historical stars of the Whites. Ferenc Puskas received the decoration in Budapest's Kútvolgyi Hospital from the hands of Fritz Ahlstrom, UEFA Media Delegate and Spokesperson.

From Realmadrid.com, we wish to convey our most sincere hopes for the prompt recovery of Ferenc Puskas and, at the same time, call out to all international sports organisations to actively support a worlwide tribute that pays due homage to this extraordinary football player.

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Ronaldo and Salgado not called up due to injury

Fabio Capello has made public the names of the 18 players who have been called up for Real Madrid's match against Real Sociedad on Sunday at 9 pm CET at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. Pre-match preparations for the Madridistas begin at 8:30 pm at the White Colisseum, before the team make their way to the Mirasierra Suites Hotel in Madrid, where they will stay until tomorrow's match. The team's next training session will be held on Tuesday at 11 am at Real Madrid City.





Matchday 3 of the Spanish League's First Division takes place on Sunday, and Real Madrid play their second home game of the season against Real Sociedad. Combining League and Champions League play, it will be Fabio Capello's fourth match as Real Madrid's manager. After Wednesday's loss to Olympique Lyonnais, the Italian coach stated that he is contemplating making some changes to the starting eleven, although he hasn't given any clues as to who the sacrificed might be.
Nevertheless, Capello has called up every play available for the clash against the San Sebastian side, with the only excepetion being Iván Helguera, who has been left off the list due to a coaching decision. The only other missing players are Míchel Salgado and Ronaldo. The right fullback continues to recover from a niggled left knee, suffered in last Sunday's match against Levante. On the other hand, Ronaldo, who has been training with his teammates since Thursday, will most likely make his return to the teamsheet in about three weeks to one month time, assuming his evolution continues as well as it has.




TEAMSHEET:

Goalkeepers: Casillas, Diego López.

Defenders: Roberto Carlos, Sergio Ramos, Cannavaro, Raúl Bravo, Pavón, Mejía.

Midfielders: Diarra, Emerson, Cicinho, Guti, Reyes, Beckham.

Forwards: Raúl, Robinho, Van Nistelrooy, Cassano.

Not called up: Helguera (coaching decision), Salgado and Ronaldo (injured).
SCHEDULE:


Saturday 16 September: Pre-match preparations at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium @ 8:30 pm CET.

Tuesday 19 September: Training at Real Madrid City @ 11 am.

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Various members of the Club attended the funeral of the player's father, Marcelino Miñambres

Following the death of Marcelino Miñambres, father of Óscar Miñambres, some Real Madrid players and Board Members went to the funeral parlour in Alcorcón, Madrid, to stand by their fellow teammate. President Ramón Calderón personally offered his condolences to the player on Sunday evening.



Following the death of Marcelino Miñambres, father of Óscar Miñambres, Real Madrid players Raúl González Blanco, Iker Casillas, Alvaro Mejía, Francisco Pavón and Diego López, stood by their fellow teammate.
The squad's Spanish players attended the burial in Alcorcón. Real Madrid's President, Ramón Calderón, personally offered his condolences to the player and his family last night.

Pedja Mijatovic, Carlos Bucero and Javier García Coll attended the funeral in representation of the Club. Real Madrid wore black arm-bands during last night's match against Real Sociedad in Marcelino Miñambres' honour.

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Real Madrid have allowed the fewest goals in the League

Coach Fabio Capello's team have allowed only one goal in the three La Liga matches played to date. The figure confirms the difficulties of beating the solid White defence. The new players who were signed to reinforce the back line are producing results and the long-lasting debate about the problems stemming from the defence has been dropped.





Real Madrid have allowed just one goal in the the three League matches they have played. Valencia, coached by former Madridista Quique Sánchez Flores, are the only other team who have allowed that same number.
The success of the White defence is due in large part to Italian coach, Fabio Capello, who has put a lot of energy into making the back line as solid as possible since his arrival. The former Juventus boss was able to sign various players who have been fundamental in making Madrid's defence as strong as it has been during the start of the 2006/07 season.

The arrival of players like Cannavaro, Diarra and Emerson has brought the team the desired balance that hadn't been seen for several seasons. Other standouts who have gotten the year off to a great start include a rejuvenated Roberto Carlos Cicinho, who is an iron fist on the right wing, and Sergio Ramos, who is destined to become the leader of the Madridista defence. Also noteworthy is the work carried out in the centre midfield by men like Emerson, Diarra, and Guti, who demonstrated his talent against Real Sociedad during the few minutes he played in the centre of the pitch. The Madridista midfield is a crucial piece of the puzzle, as it acts as a wall that hampers the rival's efforts and makes it nearly impossible for them to break through.



The centre fullback duo also deserves special attention, as Sergio Ramos continues to feed off the game and gain invaluable experience, just as the Italian back Cannavaro did in his prime. The transalpine player will be fundamental in the young Sevillian player's progress.

So the Club's defencive nightmares have been laid to rest. If the Whites are going to accomplish the goals set out at the start of the season, including winning a title, the back line needs to continue being the impregnable wall it has been.