Update: a number eight has been added to this post!
Let’s start with something fun first, before going on to the circus (and not in the good, Javi Martínez way) news.
ONE. The team met up at Valdebebas – once again at 22h, meaning Iker has almost perfected his negotiating skills – to start the concentración for tonight’s game. There must be some rule that at least one person has to look silly in a hat, because yesterday it was Cristiano’s turn, again. And there’s obviously a rule that at least one person has to flash a thumbs-up as well.
Meanwhile, Z&Z were inseparable – they really look like they are actually joined at the hip – as were the Argentines. I hope the latter two make an effort to include Eze because he looks so sad with his usual partner in crime missing!! By the way, who is that person that is so busy – and camera shy – on the phone in the background? It kind of looks like Aitor Karanka.
As for the players’ outfits before they changed into their Madrid gear, well… here are my guesses as to what each player was doing right before reporting for the concentración.
Karim – filming a rap video (he removed the gold chains before arriving at Valdebebas) – preview here?
Cris – watching fashiontv
Iker – blending into the neutral colored wall / floor of wherever he was, causing people to wonder where he was
Carvalho – doing housework
Richi – taking a jog with the other soccer moms on his block
TWO. Now, onto the circus news.
As stated in an update to this post from yesterday, the RFEF has claimed that the sarcastic comment about Mou published in a news report on Tuesday was written by an intern, and does not reflect the opinion of the federation. This is the lamest excuse ever. The spokesperson of the federation said, “as soon as we saw it, we immediately removed it.” So, no one bothered to read what was going on the web site of the Spanish Football Federation beforehand? How can the RFEF be responsible for running a football competition, much less the World Cup-winning Spanish national team, if they have idiots like that in their ranks?
THREE. Meanwhile, there are rumors – I hate that word – that José Mourinho is not happy with Madrid, due to the endless debate about whether another forward is needed. [Side note: doesn’t the name ‘Jorge Valdano’ seem to appear each time a coach is branded as upset? And we all know who is behind him.] AS reported that Mou is considering abandoning the club after this season, because he’s upset with the treatment he’s received in the last few months. Sigh.
At the end of his press conference yesterday, Mou was asked why he seemed so upset. His answer? “Because I want to leave. I want to leave…” He didn’t finish the sentence, so we don’t know whether he wanted to leave the press conference or the club. Someone stop the coaching carousel!
Just another day at the circus that is Real Madrid.
Related to all this, doesn’t it seem like Mou has aged a lot in the last six months? When he first signed with Madrid (left), he was bright-eyed, fresh-faced and energetic. Now (right), he looks more withdrawn, scraggly and gray.
FOUR. Now onto the non-controversial news. Iker Casillas was one of the guests on radio program “Al Primer Toque” yesterday, along with the kid man (not a kid, because the tabloids are all abuzz that he’s apparently dating 25-year-old singer Edurne) who will occupy the opposite goal tonight, David de Gea. During the chat, which took place in “El Rincón de Iker” at El Acebo (the same table that Zipi and Zape sat at), David expressed his admiration for Iker, saying, “he’s the best in the world. He’s a reference and a motivation for all goalkeepers.”
Meanwhile, Iker spoke about the game, saying that it’s going to be a great one, and that the team is going to the Calderón to win, because they’re conscious that the quarterfinal winner has not yet been decided.
Iker looks very… warm, doesn’t he? And neutral. And though you can’t see it, rest assured that the purse accompanied him on this outing.
He also touched upon everyone’s favorite subjects these days, Mourino and (especially when it comes to Iker), Cristiano Ronaldo. Of the former, Iker said, “we intend for Mourinho to be the coach for many years to come. I’m the captain and I’m telling you this. He has the best possible profile to be Real Madrid’s coach. He treats all the players the same and the only thing he wants is for his team to play well and to win games. And he’s happy with the team and the club.” And on Cris, Iker was more diplomatic than he has been in the past: “he’s a perfectionist and that’s good for the group, because he transmits that desire to win to the rest of us” [shouldn’t the rest of you already have this?].
FIVE. Meanwhile, some good news too: Gonzalo Higuaín was given a clean bill of health from Dr. Fessler yesterday: “everything was perfect and I didn’t see any problem in the patient that would hinder his recovery process.” Pipita and co. will return to Madrid today from Chicago.
Update: Pipita’s back! He arrived this morning and told reporters that he’s “good and happy. Everything is going well, and almost all of the pain in my leg that didn’t allow me to play is gone and now the countdown until I can return begins. I’m confident that I’ll be able to return before the season ends.”
P.S. He’s wearing a silly hat. Good to see he hasn’t missed a beat.
SIX. And Cristiano is not so good with numbers – though I bet he’s very good at keeping track of how many goals he’s scored, and how many times he can call Ricky in a day before Caroline yells at him.
I want to know who the “we” is.
SEVEN. As to the “surprise” promised by Marca in their Cristiano Ronaldo interview series, well, it was just another award. That’s a bit of a letdown. I’m sure everyone was secretly hoping for photos of Cris Jr.
Cris Sr. won the “Champions No. 1” trophy for being the best footballer in last year’s Champions League (what?). The award was determined by fan voting via Marca and Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport. No wonder Cris won it then.
During the photo session with the stars, Cris commented on how much it weighed, and said he couldn’t pose on the floor with it, because “these pants won’t let me.”
EIGHT. Cristiano Ronaldo is no longer the face of Armani Jeans, Real Madrid fan Rafa Nadal is the new one! Here. It’s worth the click, I promise you.