all set for Lyon!

If you hated the neck muffler Mou wore during games, what do you think of this style?  Ninja Mou!

Madrid held their second and last training session this morning before the all important Champions League game tomorrow.  All 23 of the available footballers trained under the orders of their ninja coach.

Maybe Mou got the idea from Marcelo?  And if he’s so cold, why shorts?

They did their usual exercises and drills, and all looked adorable while doing so, no?  (As you can tell by the spate of photos accompanying this post, I had trouble eliminating photos to include, because they were all so great!)  I love those shades of blue and green!

Twenty-two players were called up by Mou for the convocatoria.  Poor Fernando Gago was the only one left out, but he got to play several minutes against Levante at least.  Pedro León and Sergio Canales made their “return” from exile, while Pepe just made a normal “return.”

Goalkeepers: Casillas, Dudek, Adán.

Defenders: Pepe, Ramos, Albiol, Arbeloa, Marcelo, Garay, Carvalho.

Midfielders: Lass, Xabi Alonso, Khedira, Kaká, Granero, Pedro León, Canales, Özil, Di María.

Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema, Adebayor.

As stated earlier, José Mourinho and Ricardo Carvalho will speak to the press once the team is in France, as per UEFA’s reuglations.

Mesut Özil also gave an interview to Madrid’s website on the upcoming game, but the big news was… the new poses!  With no thumbs-up in sight!!!  Let’s hope they keep this up.

His eyes and his hands are his best props.

on those magical European nights that Madrid is accustomed to: the Bernabéu is known for those magical moments of football.  There have been spectacular games in this stadium… I have a lot of desire to experience this.

on his first CL goal: scoring my first goal in the Champions League was an incredible sensation.  I was very fortunate to get that rebound, but that doesn’t matter because it was the first one I scored in the competition.

on kissing the escudo after scoring against Sevilla: I feel very connected to this club.  I’m a part of this team and I wanted to express the happiness I feel for being here.  It wasn’t anything I had planned, but I did it.  It resulted from the moment.  Scoring a goal is an incredible sensation wherever you are, but to score at home, in front of all the fans at the Bernabéu, makes it even bigger.  This stadium makes me feel fantastic [if Ozi wasn’t already an idol for us, he is now, with these words].

on his adaptation: each member of the team has treated me very well.  We all help each other.  We’re becoming great friends and now we feel like one big family.  We communicate using various languages:  sometimes in English and other times in castellano.  My teammates are making this experience magnificent for me.

on his performance: the first and most important thing is that both the team and I are working very well.  I came to Madrid to improve my game and to become a better footballer.  I’m on the right path, but I still have a lot left to achieve.  I’m ready to work very hard to achieve everything I can.  I dedicate a lot of time to that and I hope everything continues to turn out well.  I always want to train with the team because we have a lot of fun.  I get up in the morning and I want to get to the Ciudad Real Madrid.  We always have a good time and we have great moments, like a family does [how adorable is this???].

on the father of the family, José Mourinho: he puts all his energy and effort into his work.  The team means everything to him and he does everything possible to help out each player.  He’s also a very fun person.  He dedicates a lot of time to tactics during the training sessions and he always makes it interesting for us.