… and that I could get a break of sorts.
One big Madrid family: Madrid held their annual peñas meeting yesterday in Valdebebas, at the Alfredo di Stéfano. More than 4,000 peñistas attended the meeting, which included a tribute to the cantera and speeches by FP and special guests Aitor Karanka and Esteban Granero. There were also a diverse range of activities and food for all those present.
I never noticed this, but Aitor Karanka and Esteban Granero kind of look alike! Since they were basically wearing the same outfit yesterday – and both look great, no? This is also a very Xabi-esque outfit – the similarities really came out, such as the full head of luscious and unruly hair that poor Iker can only dream about. And both of them wear the clothes, instead of the clothes wearing them (that would be Sergio at times, Mesut as well, Cris, Drenthe…)
El Buitre was responsible for presenting the tribute, in which all the teams in the cantera, from the Benjamines all the way up to Castilla, came out on the field with the trophies they had won this past season (the Copa del Rey was carried out by the younger players). Each team also formed a pasillo for their coaches, and unfurled a huge sign thanking the fans. How cute are they all in their little kits??? The other sign out on the field should be familiar to all of you, since we often saw it at the Bernabéu towards the end of last season.
Then came the speeches. Aitor was up first, and he started off by sending his regards to José Mourinho and the rest of the coaching staff. He went on to say, “it’s been an intense season in which we noted all your support. You all are one of the biggest reasons why we work every day to make the history of this club even greater.” Esteban Granero, the model canterano, said, “for me, it’s an honor to be here as a canterano. The players know the importance of the fans and the peñas; you all are a basic pillar of this club. We want to thank all of you for all the support you’ve given us during this year. Next year, we’re going to fight in order to continue bringing joy to you all, as well as the successes you deserve. You all should feel as if you’re part of this Copa del Rey, because it also belongs to all of you.”
The poor little ones had to stand there in the sun while the men droned on.
Nostalgia overload: a lot of the fans went on to the Bernabéu to watch the Corazón Classic Match 2011, and the stadium was almost entirely full (73,104 was the final tally), which is really good for a post-season, veterans game. Real Madrid ended up winning the match 8-3, but the best part was seeing so many of those familiar and missed faces once again wearing the white jersey…
… such as Zidane (though we do get to see him a lot, just not on the field), Figo, Helguera, El Moro (Fernando Morientes), Redondo, Karanka, Suker (who got a bit pudgy, no?), Fernando Sanz (Míchel Salgado’s brother in law)… I’m just mentioning the ones from the last decade or so, because if you’re a new fan, you probably haven’t heard of any of the more veteran ones, although there are exceptions such as Butragueño, Santillana or Buyo. Chendo also got in on the action – I hope Edu was watching!
Rubén de la Red received a tribute as he was named captain for the Real Madrid side, despite being the youngest player out there (by several years). It was also his 26th birthday yesterday! He received a huge ovation when he came onto the field, rivaled only by the one given to Zidane. Rubén scored the first goal, off of a penalty. The rest of the goalscorers for Madrid were Butragueño, Redondo, Alfonso, Robert Kovac (two own goals), Fernando Sanz, Suker (penalty).
Mou was also there, alongside his son José Jr., aka the luckiest kid in the world.
Proceeds from this game will benefit the creation of socio-sports schools in Africa by the Realmadrid Foundation. And of note: one of the sideline officials was Rafa Guerrero. After the game, Rubén said, “I’m touched and I keep my feelings on the inside, but that’s normal after playing next to some of the illustrious players in the history of this club. I was also very lucky to play alongside Fernando Redondo, who has been one of my references.” Other declarations:
A couple of these guys still look like they could earn a place on the current team, no? I think in the end I was most excited to see Fernando Redondo. He looks exactly the same! The hair is still exactly the same!!! It was always straight, parted down the middle, and there was never one hair out of place. ¡Cómo te echo de menos Fernando!
Adios Manu: Madrid has decided not to execute the purchasing option for Emmanuel Adebayor, meaning he’ll return to City. So, Madrid is now on the market for another forward. I hope it’s someone I like (which does not include a certain someone with the initials S.”K.”A.).
International update: Portugal beat Norway 1-0 in Euro qualifying, with Cris and Pepe playing the entire game. That was the only game Portugal had, so they and Ricky Carvalho are now officially on vacation! According to Portuguese magazine Vidas, Cris will be baptizing Cristiano Jr. and his nephew/godson Dinis on June 17 in Alcochete, Lisbon. José Mourinho is apparently invited to the ceremony.
Meanwhile, France plays Ukraine tonight, and injury forced Sami Khedira to leave Germany’s training camp, meaning he won’t be playing in his country’s next game tomorrow against Azerbaijan. The German seleccionador said that there aren’t any serious problems (good!) and that the muscle Sami injured is doing well (yay!), but they don’t want to run any risks, so they came to the conclusion to give Sami a rest.
Laugh of the day: selected quotes from an interview Xavi did with Sport (they both just feed off of each other’s sometime delusions, don’t they? And they have no idea what “irony” means). Highlights in italics. (The pictures are to break up the drivel, and because while reading this I can only stomach Xavi when Iker and preferably another madridista are near him.)
on Madrid’s press: I don’t like to talk about these things. They made us stronger… We were victorious in everything except the Copa – the Liga, the semifinal of the Champions, playing football. Barcelona is stronger today thanks to what Madrid did.
on the “manita game”: it was a marvel of game. We were so superior. They didn’t play.
on the “manita” ad: they can think what they want, we are respectful of everyone.
on the CL semifinal: we won 2-0 in the Bernabéu against all the cheating in the world. I hope they continue next year, they can do what they want. We’ll continue playing football.
on Barcelona knowing how to lose: Barcelona also knows how to lose. In the final of the Copa, we congratulated Madrid [so you consider refusing to shake the hands of certain players “congratulating?”]. We aren’t sore losers. We saw who were the sore losers.
on the Copa del Rey final: in the first half, we didn’t play well due to the tension of the final, but in the second half, we could have won the game 2-0… on the field, I had the sensation that we won. I had the ball and I thought we were going to win the game [and he just said they know how to lose. Oh my.]
To his credit, Xavi did say that he spoke with Iker after the Copa to congratulate him and to tell him to enjoy it, although he says, “I haven’t spoken personally with him since then. We will speak. We’ve gotten along our entire lives. We will try to move on.”
Player news:
– this is how Guti showed up for the Shakira concert in Madrid last weekend. He really seems to be loving green at the moment, doesn’t he? In a green pants face-off, Sergio would win, because I like the darker shade of his green jeans much better.
– Hamit Altintop was in Madrid on Saturday to look for a house. He’s currently on vacation, as he has been excused from the Turkish national team due to back problems. He visited several zones that the club recommended to him, including two which should be no surprise to all of you: La Moraleja and La Finca de Pozuelo. He left late in the afternoon for Germany, but might be back soon to continue the search, as he didn’t make any decisions yet.
– Alicia Roig, Raúl Albiol’s soon-to-be wife (the wedding is on June 17), told Hola magazine that Pronovias is indeed making her dress, and that she was looking for something elegant and exclusive. As for the proposal, Alicia says, “it was very beautiful, and also funny, because things didn’t turn out as he had prepared. It was also a surprise.” Now I really want to know how Raúl messed up (I assume that’s what happened since I can totally see that happening to him). We also find out that Raúl is involved with the planning of the wedding, that they haven’t decided on a honeymoon destination yet, that Alicia doesn’t like football and only goes to “the most important games.”