Real Madrid

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Real Madrid's problems continued when they failed to break down a relegation-threatened Real Betis and had to settle for a 0-0 draw in a dull Spanish Cup last 16 first leg match.

Spanish sports daily Marca held an internet poll during the course of the match and more than 65 per cent of respondants said that Real would not miss David Beckham when he leaves for Los Angeles Galaxy in the summer.

However, his former fans might be thinking again after Real's poor showing for which the former England captain was dropped by coach Fabio Capello.

"I am only going to talk about this game and that is another matter," said Capello when the subject of Beckham's departure was raised.

"I liked the spirit of our team tonight. I'm happy," added Capello.

"A 0-0 draw is definitely not a bad result on a difficult pitch. They had the best of the first half, when they had two good chances, but I think we were better in the second."

On balance, the home side had the best chances and Betis's Brazilian winger Wagner had two excellent opportunities to open the scoring in the first half.

Madrid had to rely on their two new Argentine acquisitions for their best attempts to break the deadlock.

Gonzalo Higuain nearly marked his Real debut with a goal but his right foot effort midway through the first half brought an outstanding save from goalkeeper Pedro Contreras, himself a former Madrid player.

"He did well. People who come here from other continents usually need a bit of time to adapt to European football," said Capello.

Fernando Gago sent a shot from the edge of the area whistling over the bar after 73 minutes but, like everyone else, the midfielder ended the night without a goal to his name.

Real's injury woes among their defenders also increased when Brazilian left back Roberto Carlos limped off after just 11 minutes.

Club medical officials later said that they feared he could be out for up to a month with a torn right calf muscle.

Real have now only won one of their last six matches in all competitions.

The second leg will be on January 18 at Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

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Real Madrid were held to a goalless draw away at struggling Real Betis in their King's Cup last 16 first leg on Thursday.

There were few chances for either side and it made it three consecutive games in all competitions that Real had failed to score.

The build-up to the game had been overshadowed by the earlier news that David Beckham is to leave Real for Los Angeles Galaxy in June, even though he was not included in the squad.

Neither were Ronaldo and Antonio Cassano, who are also being connected with possible moves. Coach Fabio Capello fielded a young side including new recruits Fernando Gago and Gonzalo Higuain, the latter making his debut.

Betis, 18th in the Primera Liga, also rested key players but with new coach Luis Fernandez at the helm were fired up and pressured Real all over the pitch early on.

The other seven first legs were played on Tuesday and Wednesday with Barcelona beating second division Alaves 2-0 and third division Rayo Vallecano holding league leaders Sevilla to a goalless draw.

The second legs are scheduled to be played during next week.

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David Beckham admitted that he was stunned by Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello's decision to call time on his career at the Spanish giants.

Capello is adamant that the former England skipper has played his last match in a Madrid shirt after the 31-year-old decided to sign a 250-million-dollar deal to play for Los Angeles Galaxy in the United States.

"David is surprised at the quotes from Fabio Capello. Nobody from the club has informed him of their intentions. He will continue to give his full commitment and professionalism to the club," said Beckham's public relations representative Simon Oliveira.

"As far as David is aware, he has a contract for the remainder of the season and remains dedicated to the club and its supporters."

Capello said earlier Saturday that Beckham, who is out of contract in Madrid at the end of the season, will not play for him again.

"He's not going to play anymore. He can train but not play. I think you can't play with the same motivation if you have signed for another team," said Capello.

"The player's decision to go to Los Angeles on such a big contract means we cannot count on him, although he has been a great professional."

Beckham's five-year deal with the Major League Soccer (MLS) club in the United States could make him one of the richest sportsmen in the world but much of the massive contract is believed to be based on a complex system of bonus incentives.

"The fact he wanted to go was down to him, not to me. He is a great professional. Now he can stay in good physical condition but we can't count on him," added Capello.

The 31-year-old former England captain has only started five La Liga games and has been on the substitutes' bench for most of the season but he is still under contract to Real, and drawing his six million euros a year salary, until June 30.

However, with new MLS season starting in April, it is hard to believe that Beckham will not try to look for a way to leave Real in the next two months and head west to link up with his new club.

MLS spokesman Stephen Rodriguez said Galaxy general manager Alexi Lalas and coach Frank Yallop could try to buy out the remainder of Beckham's Real contract.

"I'm sure Alexi or Frank Yallop will try to bring him over as quickly as possible," said Rodriguez.

"It would be in (owners) AEG and LA Galaxy's best interests to buy out the rest of his contract."

Beckham has not been part of Capello's plans since the early part of the season.

Club captain Raul Gonzalez, Jose Antonio Reyes and Robinho, who are all principally left-sided players, have all been selected on the right wing in preference to Beckham.

Sources at the club have also suggested that Capello has been having doubts about Beckham's commitment ever since he took time off to go to Tom Cruise's pre-wedding dinner near Rome in November.

Beckham's fellow superstar Ronaldo remains part of Capello's plans, but only just.

The Real coach is reported to have told Real president Ramon Calderon on Monday that Beckham and Ronaldo were not part of his long-term strategy, a meeting that may have precipitated Beckham's surprise announcement three days later.

"Ronaldo is a Real Madrid player because he has not had any contact with another team. He's injured - that's why he is not playing (against Zaragoza on Sunday)," said Capello.

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رضايت از حضور در سانتياگو برنابئو

رائول: هرگز به تيم ليورپول نمي*روم


كاپيتان تيم فوتبال رئال مادريد شايعه حضور در ليورپول را تكذيب كرد و مدعي شد كه از حضور در سانتياگو برنابئو راضي است.



به نقل از سايت فوتبال اسپانيا، در هفته هاي گذشته شايعات زيادي مبني بر احتمال جدايي رائول از تيم رئال مادريد منتشر شد در حالي كه مهاجم اسپانيايي به شدت اين شايعه را تكذيب كرد.

رائول در اين زمينه تصريح كرد: هرگاه رئال مادريد در مسابقه*اي شكست مي*خورد شايعات زيادي در رسانه*ها به چاپ مي*رسد و خبر انتقالم به تيم ليورپول در همين چارچوب است.

وي افزود: از حضورم در رئال مادريد خيلي خوشحالم و تمايلي به ترك اين تيم ندارم.

كاپيتان رئال تاكيد كرد: به فعاليتم در برنابئو ادامه خواهم داد و همواره با تمامي توان براي تيم مورد علاقه*ام بازي خواهم كرد.

وي راجع به انتقال همبازي انگليسي *اش به تيم گالكسي عنوان كرد: بكهام بازيكن بزرگي است و زماني كه خبر جدايي وي از رئال مادريد را شنيدم خيلي ناراحت شدم.

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Real Madrid showed that they can be successful without David Beckham, who was watching from the VIP stands, as they claimed their first win in four outings with a 1-0 victory over Real Zaragoza.

Ruud Van Nistelrooy got the only goal to keep the Spanish giants in third place but move them to just two points behind the league leaders Sevilla.

"There's been a lot of talk about players not continuing at this club in the last few days. (Real coach Fabio) Capello took a firm decision," said Real Madrid's sporting director Pedrag Mijatovic after the game.

"He (Beckham) has signed with another club so it was obviously there were going to be few opportunities for him to play.

"But you can see that we have young players who are very motivated."

Van Nistelrooy got his tenth goal of the season in typical poaching fashion after 41 minutes.

Jose Antonio Reyes sent a short corner to Robinho, who in turn put a pass across the face of the goal for new Argentine signing Gonzalo Higuain to turn the ball back and leave van Nistelrooy with the job of sidefooting the ball into the net.

Real marginally had the best of an uninspiring first half before the Van Nistelrooy goal but they stepped up a gear and dominated the second half despite not adding to their tally.

Higuain was particularly impressive on his debut in the Santiago Bernabeu providing some telling passes and had several good shots.

"I'm very happy. I had a good feeling here," said Higuain, who has moved quickly to step into the slot alongside Van Nistelrooy that is likely to be soon vacated permanently by another departing superstar Ronaldo.

Ruben De La Red also almost scored after 68 minutes, just a few seconds after taking over from Reyes, but had his shot just turned away for a corner by Zaragoza goalkeeper Cesar Perez.

Ironically, Zaragoza are currently negotiating for the loan of De la Red, one of the brightest stars of the Real Madrid reserve team that plies its trade in the Spanish second division.

De La Red has said that he wants to go to get more top level playing time but Capello's decision to axe Beckham and Antonio Cassano could open up a place for him in Real's first team squad.

Robinho also went close 16 minutes before the end after outpacing Zaragoza's flagging defenders but was just fractionally off-target.

The closest Zaragoza came to scoring was when Gerard Pique sent the ball into the box from the edge of the area and it hit the post, although more by accident than design.

One negative note for Real Madrid was club captain Raul Gonzalez straining his right hamstring early in the game.

He was replaced by Robinho after 14 minutes although the injury did not appear too serious and Raul spent the rest of the game in the dug out.

Real's under-fire coach Capello celebrated the win by making an obscene gesture towards a section of the crowd that had been calling for his head after the run of recent poor results.

The Spanish media also speculated on Sunday that disgruntled Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho could take over from Capello in the summer.

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Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello said it was a joint decision to discard David Beckham for the rest of the season after he decided to join Los Angeles Galaxy.

"It was the technical team, which includes me, my assistant Franco Baldini and sporting director Predrag Mijatovic, who took the decision," Capello told a news conference on Sunday.

"If a player has a contract (with another club) it isn't right that you continue to treat him as just another player."

The former England captain turned down a contract extension at Real and announced on Thursday his new deal, which will take him to the United States at the end of the season.

Capello responded the following day, saying the 31-year-old would only train with the squad and not play for his last six months in the Spanish capital.

Beckham watched from the stands on Sunday as Real beat Real Zaragoza 1-0 to climb within two points of leaders Sevilla.

At a tense news conference Capello was asked what the difference was between Beckham deciding to leave while still under contract to the club and the Italian's decision to join former club AC Milan a decade ago while still Real coach.

"The difference is the American league starts in April and mine didn't. I told the club president first and that's a little different. Also I hadn't actually signed the contract," he said.

When reporters tried to ask more questions about Beckham, Capello added: "I think we've talked enough about Beckham."

The Real coach also asked to be forgiven for a rude gesture he twice made to some fans sitting in the stands near the dugout as he left the pitch at the end of the game.

"I want to apologise for what I did. Since the first day I arrived there have been two people behind the bench who have continually offended me and today it went too far," he said.

"They are the same ones that were here ten years ago, but I shouldn't have done what I did," added Capello.

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Real Madrid ended a turbulent week with a morale-boosting 1-0 home win over Real Zaragoza to move within two points of leaders Sevilla in the Primera Liga on Sunday.

Talk of rejuvenating the squad, David Beckham's decision to leave at the end of the season and coach Fabio Capello's decision to discard him dominated the build up to the match.

But a relatively young side rose to the occasion by putting in a spirited performance, with Dutchman Ruud van Nistelrooy scoring the only goal just before the break.

Real are third on 35 points, level with second-placed Barcelona who were thumped 3-1 at city rivals Espanyol on Saturday but have a game in hand.

Leaders Sevilla lost their 100 percent home record, and the chance to extend their lead at the top, when they lost 2-1 to struggling Real Mallorca.

Mallorca had suffered five straight defeats in all competitions and, against the run of the play, fell behind to a first-half penalty from Mali striker Frederic Kanoute.

But the visitors levelled when Jose Carlos Nunes volleyed in from a corner just after halftime and Argentine Maxi Lopez struck the winner after a mix-up in the home defence.

In-form Valencia are fourth with 33 points following their 3-0 win over local rivals Levante on Saturday.

Two goals from Fernando Torres helped Atletico Madrid climb to fifth on 32 points after a 3-1 win at Celta Vigo.

BECKHAM WATCHING

There was an air of expectation at the Bernabeu as Real's new youngsters Fernando Gago and Gonzalo Higuain took centre stage.

Dropped from the squad by Capello, Beckham could be seen watching from the stands while among the injured absentees were Ronaldo, Antonio Cassano and Roberto Carlos.

Defenders Michel Salgado and Sergio Ramos were suspended but none of them seemed to be missed as Real dominated from the start.

The team was unrecognisable from the one that tamely capitulated to Deportivo Coruna and Recreativo Huelva in their last two league outings, playing with pace and aggression.

Raul limped off with a muscle injury after 15 minutes to be replaced by Robinho but Real continued to carry the game to Zaragoza.

After sustained pressure, the breakthrough finally came five minutes before halftime when Higuain controlled Robinho's deep cross and fired low across goal for Van Nistelrooy to score.

As Zaragoza, who beat Sevilla last weekend, tried to get back into the game in the second half Real exploited the space.

Substitute Ruben de la Red drew a sharp save from Cesar in a one-on-one after 68 minutes and soon afterwards Robinho broke and shot just wide.

The visitors came closest to scoring when Gerard Pique's header from a corner late on came back off the bar.

Emotions boiled over after the final whistle when Capello twice made a rude gesture towards some fans in the stand as he left the pitch.

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Fabio Capello calls up 19 players for tomorrow's match at the Ono Estadi

There are no surprises on Fabio Capello's squad list for Sunday's match at Mallorca. With seven players out injured -Cicinho, Guti, Marcelo, Roberto Carlos, Raúl Emerson and Beckham-, the Italian manager is relying heavily on the youth team for a match that he himself considers "crucial."



Fabio Capello has called up 19 players to travel to Mallorca, four of whom -De la Red, Casilla, Nieto and Torres- play for Real Madrid Castilla. Once again, injuries played a large role in determining who would be named on the squad list. As many as seven players have made Real Madrid's medical report: Cicinho, Guti, Marcelo, Roberto Carlos, Raúl Emerson and Beckham. All of them have been left off the list, as has Ronaldo due to a coaching decision.

But there was a bit of good news from the infirmary. Raúl Bravo has recovered from a strained left groin muscle and will make the trip with his teammates. Also rejoining the squad is Míchel Salgado, who had been suffering from acute gastroenteritis.
As for the rest, there are no new changes, including the Argentines Fernando Gago and Gonzalo Higuaín, who joined the Club during the winter transfer window and have convinced Capello of their quality and talent in no time at all.

MALLORCA-REAL MADRID SQUAD LIST:


Goalkeepers: Casillas, Diego López and Casilla.

Defenders: Míchel Salgado, Sergio Ramos, Cannavaro, Raúl Bravo, Helguera, Pavón, Mejía, Torres.

Midfielders: Diarra, Gago, Reyes, De la Red and Nieto.

Forwards: Robinho, Van Nistelrooy and Higuaín.



MEDICAL REPORT


Cicinho: Torn anterior cruciate ligament of the right knee. Surgery (26/09/06).

Guti: Right ankle sprain. Medical and physiotherapeutic treatment. Field work.

Marcelo: Right ankle sprain. Medical and physiotherapeutic treatment. Specific recovery work at the gymnasium.

Roberto Carlos: Partial tear of right sural triceps muscle. Medical and physiotherapeutic treatment.

Emerson: Enthesitis -inflammation and calcification of the tendon- of the right leg hamstring. Medical and physiotherapeutic treatment.

Raúl: Partial tear of right hamstring. Medical and physiotherapeutic treatment.

Beckham: Strain of the left quadriceps. Medical and physiotherapeutic treatment. Specific recovery work at the gymnasium.

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