I wonder how much “training” gets done?

happy Friday!

The “making of” of the Adidas spot for the new store in the Bernabéu is out, and it is almost as adorable as the spot itself!

It goes without saying that it was our football and basketball players who provided all of the adorable-ness…

ICYMI – the Cristianator edition

In case you missed it – Barcelona vs. Madrid [2013-02-26, Copa del Rey seminfinals second leg, 1-3).

On to the final of the Copa del Rey we go!

I hope this momentum carries us through our next two games!

to the final!

I knew we could do it!  ¡Hala Madrid!

Cristiano Ronaldo at GQ España

FYI, Cris has scored six goals during his last five visits to the Camp Nou, and he would like to score one tonight to dedicate it to Pepe, who turns 30 today.  If he does indeed score, he’ll become the first player in the history of the clásicos to score in six consecutive away games.  And speaking of Cris, GQ España published this lovely interview with him in the March edition.  It’s a good thing that the interview is so great, because the styling is anything but.

I meet up with Cristiano inside the Matadero Madrid.  It’s just him and me, and the photographer, of course.  And his assistants.  And three stylists.  And the make-up artist.  And perhaps some bodyguards.  And Irina Shayk, the seductress, defying gravity on eight-centimeter-high heels.  However, in some way, it’s really just the two of us: who else, except us, would have the temptation to speak about Ronald Reagan?  Who else but us would be able to strike up a conversation about abs and strengthening the core?  The interview was prepared a while ago, but perhaps due to the location, I don’t want to begin with a question, but rather with an apology, for all the times my journalist colleagues have dirtied their hands with gratuitous rumors, for all the times they have made mincemeat out of him.

all set for Barcelona!

We’ll head into tonight’s Copa del Rey semifinal second leg game against Barcelona (21h) with two more moments from the Depor game, a quote from José Mourinho and statistics, data and precedents!

We got to see Marcelo putting on Vick’s VapoRub on his chest rather than his shirt, and Sami and Mesut being very adorable and infantile on the bench.

Xabi Alonso at Vanity Fair

One word: perfection.

He’s the best midfielder in history, a crucial piece of the national team and one of the sexiest footballers in the world.  Everyone knows who he is, but not many know what he’s really like.  Xabi Alonso leaves the field (for a couple of hours) to submit to our third degree.  We talk about his family, his dislikes and yes, the locker room of Real Madrid and his coach, José Mourinho.

six moments…

… against Depor.  I have no time to make a proper ICYMI post (the next post will give you an indication why), so here are the highlights and lowlights (is that a word?) from the game against Deportivo.

ONE.  We’ll start with the autograph session the previous night, when Cris was being all adorable with Kaká and with all the small kids.