Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale set to return for Real Madrid vs. Villarreal

Ronaldo and Bale have scored 39 league goals between them so far this season.

Real Madrid stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale have both returned to full training and are expected to be fit to face Villarreal on Sunday in La Liga.

Ronaldo and Bale, and centre-back Raphael Varane, have all sat out sessions for various precautionary reasons as Madrid enjoyed a rare midweek without any competitive games, but all three are likely to named by coach Carlo Ancelotti for the game against sixth-placed Villarreal.

Luka Modric, who is back training with this teammates after over four months out with a serious hamstring tear, could make his return in the fixture at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

On Thursday neither Bale nor Ronaldo played a full part in the daily session, with the Wales international working alone and the Portugal captain inside in the gym. However Friday's post-training statementhad happier news for Blancos fans.

"Gareth Bale took his place with the group and completed with the others a training session which was again based around working with the ball," the statement reads. "The only absences from the session were Sergio Ramos, Sami Khedira and James Rodriguez, who continue with their recovery processes."

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo: A comparison of their penalty records

When Lionel Messi stepped up to take a 94th minute penalty at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night, he not only had a fantastic opportunity to put the tie even further beyond doubt than it already looked, but also to draw level at the top of this season’s Champions League top scorers chart and thereby extend his lead ahead of perennial adversary Cristiano Ronaldo both this season and in the all-time standings.

And yet, the best player of his generation contrived to pass up this chance, allowing Joe Hart to make a fairly comfortable save before inexplicably missing a gaping open goal with a routine header from just a few yards.

The margins between Messi and Ronaldo are so fine in their quest to be the world’s number one footballer that every goal matters, and Messi’s misses will only have fuelled the naysayers who insist he has fallen behind Ronaldo.

This particular one may not prove costly over the course of this two-legged tie, but the Real Madrid winger could certainly overtake Messi in the individual stakes before the season’s end. Incredibly, the duo have won the Champions League top scorer award in each of the last seven seasons; Messi currently leads Ronaldo in this regard by four awards to three. Ronaldo will be keen to level things up this year.

Report: Louis van Gaal 'rejected' the chance to sign Cristiano Ronaldo after being offered him by agent Jorge Mendes

The Ballon d'Or winner Spanish journalist Alfredo Duro claimed on football TV show El Chiringuito that Ronaldo's representative Jorge Mendes met with United's chief scout Martin Ferguson in January.

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal reportedly turned down the opportunity to sign Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo after being offered him by the player's agent.

The Ballon d'Or winner Spanish journalist Alfredo Duro claimed on football TV show El Chiringuito that Ronaldo's representative Jorge Mendes met with United's chief scout Martin Ferguson in January.

Ferguson, brother of former Red Devils' manager Sir Alex, reportedly relayed the offer to Van Gaal who is said to have rejected the chance to sign the Portugal ace.

Passionate supporters' group United Reel showed how much they want their former prodigy to return to Old Trafford when they flew a banner over Villarreal's E Madrigal stadium wich read, "COME HOME RONALDO - UNITED REEL."

Ronaldo, who has a £1billion release clause in his contract, left the Premier League for Madrid in 2009 but has consistently been linked with a move back ever since.

Ancelotti: "Cristiano is back"

The boss was pleased following Los Blancos' clean win.

Amid some loud whispers of crisis lately from the fans and media, Carlo was content with what he saw from his guys today.

[I'm] happy as it's never easy. After what's happened in La Liga we needed to play a game like this with good attitude and good play.

On the flow of the game:

Not a very high intensity game as Schalke sat back. After first goal we had good control, and were able to take our opportunity. We started well, with a good game plan, trying to utilise the wings because Marcelo and Caravajal provided us with more space.

On Pepe's return to the starting lineup and what he means to the team.

Pepe is a player with lots of experience, character and an ability to control the back line. His presence in today's match against Schalke 04 was hugely important.

Cristiano Ronaldo has hit a slump in his season and it was pretty apparent but Ancelotti didn't seem to have any issues with the way he rebounded today.

Cristiano played well, he scored and gave an assist. He is back.

On Marcelo's vital screamer late in the game which likely will end up as the key goal which will allow Real Madrid to progress to the next round:

It is not usual to see him shoot with right foot. That was a surprise.

Marcelo also chimed in with his thoughts.

In the Champions League, anything can happen. We have humility and we still have to work to make it through this round. We fought hard tonight and Schalke are a great team. The two goal cushion is a great advantage but nothing is sealed yet.

And his reasoning for his fun goal celebration:

I dedicate it to my niece, I wanted to celebrate it with the mister, with the staff, with Karim Benzema, with Keylor Navas, with everyone, because we are a family and we are proving it.

Source: www.managingmadrid.com

Reasons why Real Madrid should play it safe with their injured players

ings always appear worse when everything is going against you and the same can be said for injuries.  Despite winning at the weekend against Deportivo and the Champions League result in Germany against Schalke 04, the papers are still talking about the defeat to Atletico.  Ancelotti himself was beginning to show his annoyance with this through certain comments made before the Schalke game, insisting that Madrid have now turned a corner.  Much is still being made of the defeat to Atletico and associated events thereafter; but it seems that on the injury front at least, the outlook is all doom and gloom.  If you believe the press, Madrid's injury problems are going to lose them the League never mind the European challenge.

Sure Madrid have some injury problems; every club does.  Two hamstring injuries, a calf strain, a broken metatarsal and a long-term thigh muscle tear to name but a few.  None of these had any realistic chance of healing in time for the Schalke game although we had all hoped that Luka Modric would have met his target as indicated and been available for the first leg in Germany.  So on the night, Madrid travelled to Gelsenkirchen minus Sergio Ramos, Sami Khedira, Fabio Coentrao, and James Rodriguez in addition to the Croatian international.  The game in Germany provided a good indication of how the current Madrid squad will fare without such regulars on the field.

All football clubs have periods where key personnel are unavailable through injury; and as we have said before, this is just part and parcel of the game.  The drama is neither increased nor decreased according to who the next opponents are, and neither is the recovery time influenced by the impending opposition either.  Rushing players back for ‘a big game' has been proved over and over again to be a false economy and often results in what would have been a straight-forward three or four weeks injury turning into a seven or eight-week injury instead.  If players are rushed back because of who the next opponents are and the injury recurs, then the clock is immediately reset to allow for an even longer period than originally envisaged.  As for the ‘big game' theory, all games involvingReal Madrid are big games.

With the two hamstring injuries, it is the very nature of these that gives reasonable cause for concern.  Sergio Ramos wasted no time whatsoever in coming off the pitch immediately after his injury was sustained.  That alone was an indicator that this wasn't going to be a 10-day injury and he didn't come off just as a ‘precaution'.  Hamstring muscle injuries are known for their slow healing properties, and although it could be argued that all muscles will heal at the same rate, the hamstrings functionally are designed to allow changes in pace and to increase or decrease speed; an essential attribute for a footballer to have.  With a mild hamstring injury normal jogging is usually possible, but any attempts to change speed or progress that jog into a half or even a three-quarter pace will be met with pain and stiffness which will eventually lead to protective muscle spasm at best or a recurrence of the original injury at worst.

Current evidence states that the single most identifiable risk factor for repeated or recurrent injury is having sustained an injury previously, and therefore rehabilitation planning needs to allow for this in the delivery of post-injury programmes and return to play fitness testing. I know I've mentioned this point before, but based on the currently available literature, this appears particularly true concerning soft-tissue injuries to the hamstring group.  Available evidence indicates that during running, the hamstring group is biomechanically most susceptible to injury in the deceleration stage and in the early push-off phase before the active leg actually leaves the ground. In other words, a right hamstring muscle will be at it's most susceptible at the moment your body weight rolls forward onto the ball of the foot before pushing off, and then when the leg is controlling the heel back to the ground as you slow down from a sprint.  Additionally, the sharp sudden reactionary movements which footballers are required to perform without having time to prepare for these all add up to an increased injury risk if proper muscle healing hasn't taken place.

Source : www.managingmadrid.com

Report: Real Madrid will not sell Cristiano Ronaldo to Manchester United

Rports from El Chiringuito de Jugones suggested that Jorge Mendes met with Manchester United's Martin Ferguson to discuss a potential move for Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo. However, "Cristiano Ronaldo is the cornerstone" of Real Madrid's long-term project and Los Blancosare "not interested in selling him", sources told Managing Madrid.

If Ronaldo and Mendes are indeed planning a move -- something that it's not clear just yet --, it would take a "crazy offer, not just €150 million" to sign him away from Real Madrid. Furthermore, the Portuguese star would need to let the fans know he wants out.

Again, to say that Ronaldo wants to leave Real Madrid seems like pure speculation. However, it's now clear that Los Blancos do not want to get rid of the reigning FIFA Ballon D'Or winner.

Cristiano Ronaldo offered to Manchester United?

The transfer rumors about Cristiano Ronaldo are not going to stop just yet. According to Alfredo Duro, from El Chiringuito de Jugones, Jorge Mendes had a meeting with Manchester United scout Martin Ferguson to discuss Cristiano Ronaldo's potential transfer to Manchester United. Even if this report was true, Real Madrid would still have a say. If Los Blancos don't want to part ways with Ronaldo, it will not matter how many times Mendes meets other team's representatives.

However, it's becoming more and more clear that there's something going on with Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid. Take this report with a grain of salt, but expect similar reports throughout the rest of the season. Manchester United have been reported to be interested in signing Ronaldo back from quite some time, but the ultimate decision will always be on Real Madrid's hands, meaning that Florentino Pérez will not likely want to go down in history as the man who sold Cristiano Ronaldo.

Barcelona asked to identify fans seen chanting about Cristiano Ronaldo

Barcelona star Lionel Messi is judged by his own unusually high standards, but admits his off-field issues in 2014 affected his game.

The Spanish government's anti-violence commission has asked Barcelona to identify the 200 fans seen on video singing songs calling Cristiano Ronaldo "a drunk" during Sunday's 5-0 La Liga win over Levante at the Camp Nou.

As part of a widespread crackdown on anti-social behaviour by ultra groups, the La Liga authorities asked the government body to punish the offending Blaugrana supporters, who were referring to Real Madrid attacker Ronaldo having celebrated his 30th birthday on the night his team were humbled 4-0 at Atletico Madrid.

The government body -- the State Commission Against Violence, Racism, Xenophobia and Intolerance in Sport -- confirmed the request had been made to Barcelona in a statement following its weekly meeting in Madrid.

Followers of clubs including Madrid, Barcelona, Deportivo, Rayo Vallecano and Granada have previously been cited by the LFP for such offensive chanting, but no direct punishments for songs or chants have yet been imposed.

The clubs themselves can act unilaterally, with Madrid taking away the season tickets of individuals caught on camera insulting Lionel Messiduring a game against Celta Vigo in December.

The government body do regularly take action when there is direct evidence of a specific law being broken, and its most recent report also included a fine of 3,500 euros and a six-month ban from any sporting stadium for a fan who displayed a neo-Nazi symbol during Madrid's 2-0 win over Deportivo at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu last weekend.

Other clubs' fans were also hit with fines and bans for a variety of offences, including wearing a scarf showing a neo-Nazi symbol and throwing a glass bottle at opposition fans (Espanyol), attempting to enter the stadium carrying a knife (Athletic Bilbao) and insulting security staff (Rayo Vallecano).

Source: www.espnfc.com

Cristiano Ronaldo is Pretty in Pink: The party goes on for Real Madrid icon, a man of all style and all substance

Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring against Schalke in the Champions League last 16.

If only every footballer could look this good in a tasty little pink number. No disrespect, but big Karim Benzema doesn't quite carry if off with the same elan. Who does, apart from metrosexual man? In case us footballer lovers didn't know it, Cristiano Ronaldo continues to look down on others from his throne at the summit of the world game.

Judging by the immaculate condition of him against a game and hardly useless lot representing Roberto Di Matteo's Schalke in Madrid's 2-0 win, he is going to take some shifting.

Toni Kroos defends Cristiano Ronaldo for birthday party after Atletico loss

0-2: Real Madrid pave their way to the quarter-finals

A Cristiano Ronaldo header and a Marcelo cracker sealed the win against Schalke 04 in a knockout tie that will decided in the Bernabéu.e Champions League returned and Real Madrid demonstrated in the Veltins-Arena that their objective is still to become the first team in the history of the competition to retain the continent's most prestigious title. Against Schalke 04, the Whites recorded their seventh win, a victory that paves their way towards the quarter-finals.

The Madrid players, who dominated the encounter from the kick off, were extremely solid, were able to keep a clean sheet and scored two highly valuable away goals. The first came four minutes before the half-hour mark. Carvajal took on Boateng, cut inside and crossed the ball with his left foot. Cristiano Ronaldo, more alert to the chance than anyone else, made the most of the space that only he could see between the defender and Wellenreuther to beat the German keeper with a deft header.

Cristiano Ronaldo, third highest goalscorer in Real Madrid's history

With his header against Schalke, the Portuguese player equalled Santillana's 290 goal tally.

Cristiano Ronaldo continues to write his name in the Real Madrid history books and is now the club's third top scorer of all time. His header against Schalke brings the forward's tally with the Whites to 290 goals, thus equalling Santillana's record. The Portuguese star has reached this milestone after 280 games, while the Cantabrian needed 645 matches to do so. The only players ahead of Ronaldo are Raúl (323) and Di Stéfano (308).   

Cristiano Ronaldo began demonstrating his eye for goal in his debut on 29 August 2009 against Deportivo, when he got on the scoresheet during a 3-2 win in the Santiago Bernabéu. The ease with which the Portuguese man is able to break records means that, in the space of just six years, his name is already being talked about in the same breath as the club's all-time best players.

Cristiano Ronaldo: Real Madrid forward "is back" says Ancelotti

Ronaldo began Wednesday's Champions League last-16 tie in Schalke without a goal in three games but scored the opener in a 2-0 first-leg win.

"Cristiano is back," said Ancelotti of the forward who now has 58 goals in 58 Champions League games.

"Today we needed a game like that, with this attitude. Everything went well."

Ancelotti, who guided Real to a 10th European Cup last season, spoke of his confidence in Ronaldo  in the build-up to the match when questioned about the World Footballer of the Year's goal drought.

A fourth game without finding the net would have been Ronaldo's worst run in front of goal since 2011, but he headed in after 26 minutes and later passed to Marcelo, who finished sublimely in the second period.

"He scored, he played well and gave an assist," added Ancelotti. "It's not a problem for us if he doesn't score for a game or two but it's obvious that the goal did him good.

"It wasn't only a goal for the statistics. It was an important goal - the lead goal."

The former Manchester United player's first goal in a month provided the platform for Madrid to record a 10th-straight Champions League win, equalling Bayern Munich's record, set in 2013.

They remain the only side with a 100% record in this year's tournament and Ronaldo - on six - is now just three goals behind the competition's leading scorer - Luiz Adriano of Shakhtar Donetsk.

But Real nearly left Germany without a win as Schalke struck the woodwork moments before the lead was doubled and the home side ended the night with eight shots on goal, only three fewer than the holders.

"Look at his quality," Schalke 04 coach Roberto Di Matteo said of Ronaldo. "He goes into the box once and scores a goal. Then he sets up the second. The quality made the difference tonight."

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Schalke VS Real Madrid

• Madrid have 10 straight Champions League wins
• Ronaldo has 58 goals in 58 Champions League games
• Marcelo's stunning strike doubles lead
• Second leg at Bernabeu on 10 March

Cristiano Ronaldo ended a three-game goal drought as Real Madrid took control of their Champions League last-16 tie with Schalke in Gelsenkirchen.

The forward's form was questioned before kick-off but he headed in Dani Carvajal's cross to open the scoring.

He also created the second goal which arrived moments after Schalke's Felix Platte had smashed against the bar.

Marcelo capitalised, driving into the top corner, and the holders will take a healthy lead to Madrid on 10 March.

Los Blancos ended a 12-year wait to capture 'La Decima' - a 10th European Cup win - last season and thumped Schalke 9-2 on aggregate at the same stage of the competition.

While this result may not lead to such a convincing margin of victory, it was achieved with dominance from the start and Carlo Ancelotti's side ended with 61% possession.

Los Blancos have now won 10 straight games in the competition and with James Rodriguez to return from injury to assist Gareth Bale, Benzema and Ronaldo, they have a stockpile of talent to threaten retaining the trophy.

Ronaldo has a staggering 58 goals in 58 appearances in the competition but judged on his own incredible standards, the Fifa World Player of the Year's form was a hot topic at Ancelotti's pre-match news conference.

It took just 26 minutes for him to repay his manager's backing, beating Schalke goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther to the ball to head home.

The Portuguese has now scored in 12 straight Champions League away games and Madrid should have should have taken further control minutes later but Benzema could only drive at the goalkeeper's legs when clean through.

Schalke's solid early start - built on deep defending when Madrid kept possession - had been undone and only Wellenreuther's diving save prevented Ronaldo a second with a dipping free-kick.

Roberto Di Matteo's side lost ex-Madrid striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar to injury before the break but stuck to their task defensively in the second period and will rue Platte's narrow miss.

The substitute rattled the woodwork from 18 yards with Iker Casillas beaten and Atsuto Uchida's follow up lacked the power or direction to level.

It would prove a key moment as when Ronaldo dribbled from the left flank to feed Marcelo, the Brazilian full-back drew his right foot to thunder into the top corner.

Only Barcelona and Juventus have won by a two-goal margin in the Champions League at the Bernabeu in the last 10 years but Schalke will need to do just that if they are to reach the quarter-finals for only the third time in their history.

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Cristiano Ronaldo backed by Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti believes Wednesday's Champions League last-16 first leg against Schalke offers Cristiano Ronaldo a great chance to end his mini goal drought.

Ronaldo has scored 36 goals in 33 competitive games this season but has not found the back of the net since notching twice against Getafe almost exactly a month ago.

The world footballer of the year has had to serve a two-match suspension during that time, but since returning he has drawn blanks in the 4-0 derby defeat to Atletico and Saturday's 2-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna.

Madrid failed to find top form in either of those matches, but Ancelotti expects them to do better against Schalke and is also backing Ronaldo to rediscover his goalscoring touch against a side Real thrashed 9-2 on aggregate at the same stage last season en route to lifting the trophy.

Ancelotti said at his pre-match press conference: "Cristiano had a good game physically against Depor. I think he's improving. He's not got goals but tomorrow I think he has a good opportunity to do it."

The Italian added: "We have to enjoy this game and this moment. We have to get back to playing well, with intensity and motivation.

"I have confidence because I think we had a good game against Deportivo, with some difficulties, and I think it's going to be better tomorrow.

"We are the champions of Europe and we're going to do everything to win it again."

Ancelotti confirmed defender Pepe will play after injury but James Rodriguez, Luka Modric, Sergio Ramos, Sami Khedira and Fabio Coentrao are missing again.

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