Real Madrid

Full Name: Ruud Van Nistelrooy
Alias: Van Nistelrooy
Place of Birth: Oos, Netherlands
Date of Birth: 01/07/1976
Position: Forward
Weight: 176 lbs / 80 kg
Height: 6’2” / 188 cm
Nationality: Dutch

Ruud Van Nistelrooy is one of the best centre forwards in Europe and already a Champions League veteran. He’s your prototypical striker who combines prowess and strength with outstanding technique. Van Nistelrooy has been instrumental to Real Madrid’s success since landing in Spain. His scoring stats are absolutely astonishing, and he’s already put on countless highlight reel performances such as the 3-3 draw in the Camp Nou and his four-goal night against Osasuna, both during the 2006/07 season. The Dutchman tied a record held by Olsen, Puskas, Olmedo, and Hugo Sánchez to become the fifth player to score in seven straight matches, all of which were crucial to the 2006/07 title run. He also became the third Madridista after Di Stéfano and Hugo Sánchez to win Pichichi honours in his first season with Real Madrid. French sports paper L’Équipe included Van Nistelrooy in its 2007 all-star starting eleven.

Van Nistelrooy’s rise to stardom began in 1993 with Dutch Second Division side FC Den Bosch, where he spent four years before being transferred to Heerenveen. He scored 13 goals in 31 matches in his first season in top flight football and was quickly signed by PSV Eindhoven. His first season with the Dutch giant couldn’t have gone any better, and he was named Dutch Player of 1998/99 after fnishing as the top scorer in the Eredivisie and the second highest scorer in Europe. He netted another 29 goals in his second year with the club before suffering what could have been a career-ending injury.

PSV and Manchester United had a deal in the works when Van Nistelrooy hurt his knee in a friendly against Silkeborg. While recovering from his injury the following month, he fell and tore his ACL. Despite the problems, the Dutchman again finished with the Eredivisie scoring title and Europe’s Silver Boot. Sidelined for nearly a year, many questioned Van Nistelrooy’s return, but he quickly cast away any long-term doubts after making the switch to Manchester United.

His brace against Fulham in his Premier League debut was just the beginning. Van Nistelrooy went on to score dozens of goals for Manchester in the Premiership and the Champions League, a competition which he’s led in scoring on two different occasions. His main accomplishment in England was winning the 2002/03 Premiership, and the following season he added European football’s most traditional title, the FA Cup to the list.

Van Nistelrooy was first selected to play for the Netherlands on 18 November 1998. He was only 22 when he scored his first goal for the Orange in a match against Morocco. He wasn’t able to participate in Euro 2000, and Netherlands didn’t qualify for the 2002 World Cup. He did, however, play in Euro 2004, but was dropped from the semifinal match against host Portugal, which Netherlands went on to lose. Portugal would again eliminate Van Nistelrooy and the Netherlands in the quarterfinals of the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

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The newspaper ‘The Sun’ publishes Florentino Perez that if he returns to the presidency of Real Madrid so far the former president will undertake the recruitment of white David Beckham.

The sensationalist tabloid claims that Real Madrid would be willing to pay about EUR 10 million to Los Angeles Galaxy of MLS, which team has given international English to the Milan until end of season.

“Florentino deal to bring Beckham back if the presidency. It would be foolish to deny it,” says a source for ‘The Sun’.

Florentino Perez and chips’ Becks’ to Real Madrid in 2003.

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Full Name: Javier Saviola
Alias: Saviola
Place of Birth: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Date of Birth: 1981 12 11
Position: Forward
Weight: 134 lbs / 61 kg
Height: 5′5″ / 168 cm
Nationality: Argentine

There’s something special about Javier Saviola. He landed at Real Madrid’s doorstep at the age of 26, which for many footballers is the peak of their careers, having already graced the dressing rooms of River Plate, Barcelona, Monaco, and Sevilla.

The striker has a killer goal-scoring instinct. Short-statured with an angelic face, Saviola is a devil when he gets hold of the ball in his opponent’s box. It’s at that moment that the ‘Rabbit’ turns into a true predator capable of destroying any defender with his speed and first stride, both of which have earned him comparisons to legendary Brazilian forward Romario.

Saviola always stood out as a member of River Plate’s youth system, the same team he debuted with in Argentina’s Primera Division at the age of 16. He scored his first goal in his first match in top flight football and is the youngest player to accomplish such a feat. He would go on to win the 1999 Torneo Apertura as the top scorer of the competition. Only 18-years and one day old, he was the second youngest player to pick up the honor, coming within eight days of Maradona’s record. Saviola also won the following year’s Torneo Clausura. He scored 45 goals in 85 matches with River Plate, plus another ten when including Copa Libertadores action.

Following his first World Cup appearance, and still only 19-years old, Saviola was signed by none other than FC Barcelona. After becoming a naturalized Spanish citizen in 2004, he was sent on loan to AS Monaco, where he played the entire 2004/05 season in the Ligue 1 and the Champions League. Upon returning to Catalonia he was again sent on loan to Sevilla, who went on to win the 2006 UEFA Cup. He returned to Barcelona at season’s end and in 2007 joined Real Madrid in the Spanish capital.

In 2001 Saviola was named MVP of the FIFA Under-20 World Cup after leading Argentina to the title as the competitions top scorer. He debuted with the Argentine national team on 16 August 2000, a match that ended in a 1-1 draw against Paraguay. He also played in the 2006 World Cup and scored one goal.

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Here you are the last match’s summary of the spanish league, where Real Madrid won Bilbao with a contundent 2-5. Robben, Heinze, Huntelaar (2) and Higuain did the goals for the Real Madrid.

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Full Name: Ruben Gago
Alias: Gago
Place of Birth: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Date of Birth: 1986 04 14
Position: Midfielder
Weight: 152 lbs / 69 kg
Height: 5’8” / 178 cm
Nationality: Argentine

Rubén Gago was born on 14 April 1986 in Ciudadela, Buenos Aires. He began his career at Parque, a modest Club where former real madrid players Fernando Redondo and Esteban Cambiasso, whose styles resembles that of Gago, also got their start. His next stop was the Boca Juniors youth system, where his entire professional career was developed. He made his First Division debut with Boca on 5 December 2004 in a 1-0 win over Quilmas, but it was during the 2005 season that his career took off and made him the star he is today. In 2005/06 Gago was one of the centrepieces of a team that won five titles in as many competitions.

Gago is a very dynamic footballer who predicates his game on ball movement. He a knack for distributing the football as his mental prowess tends to surpass his strength. Gago became a Boca mainstay shortly after he debuted and all offensive series had to develop at his feet. He is also capable of reaching the opponent’s box, perhaps even more so than Redondo, who he reminds us of in terms of vision for the game, his way of covering ground, and his ball protection. Gago also knows how to take advantage of his elbows and is never scared to get a little rough.

Maradona has described Gago as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world and said that “he should never be left off an Argentina squad list.” Fernando Redondo, who so many compare him to, assured that Gago is the type of player that he always wanted on his team. “He’s got everything that I like in a midfielder. He’s always rises to the occasion, he keeps his head held high, and he’s got what it takes to read the game,” said the former Madridista. According to Jorge Valdano, Fernando Gago “is a footballer who thinks well and thinks fast, and who helps facilitate the distribution of the ball from in the midfield.

Fernando Gago won the 2005 FIFA Under-20 World Cup 2005 with fellow teammates Oscar Ustari, Lionel Messí, and Sergio Agüero before making his Argentine national team debut in February 2007.

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Full Name: Raul Gonzalez Blanco
Alias: Raul
Place of Birth: Madrid, Spain
Date of Birth: 19770627
Position: Forward
Weight: 149 lbs / 68 kg
Height: 5’11” / 180 cm
Nationality: Spain

The name Raúl has become synonymous with records in the world of football. Hundreds of matches, hundreds of goals, an enviable track record, and a Gold Medal for Sports Merit are just a few of the countless accomplishments of one of the best Spanish football players of the last 50 years.

Raúl is a product of Atletico Madrid’s youth system but was picked up by Real Madrid in 1992/93. His ascent through the Madridista factory can only be described as meteoric. Jorge Valdano tabbed Raúl for first team duty when he was only 17, thus becoming the youngest player ever to wear a Real Madrid shirt. A legend was born.

The Real Madrid captain has scored over 190 goals in close to 500 games in 14 seasons in La Liga, numbers that don’t just highlight his tremendous talent, but also establish him as one of the best Spanish players ever to play the game. His acute goal-scoring instinct has earned him the Pichichi Trophy in 1999 (25 goals in 37 games) and 2001 (24 goals in 36 games).

Raúl embodies Real Madrid’s core values of commitment, hard work, and composure every time he dons the team shirt, the only one he’ll ever wear in Spain according to him. One of his greatest accomplishments is that of all-time top scorer of the Champions League. He’s also a three-time UEFA Club Football Best Forward Award winner and a two-time Champions League Golden Boot winner.

Since making his international debut in 1996 against the Czech Republic, Raúl has won 65 matches, drawn 23, and lost just 14 with the Spanish national side. He is the only active footballer to have played more than 100 games for his country (102) and he is the second-most capped player of all time after Andoni Zubizarreta. He is also the only active player in the world to have played in 11 World Cup matches. Raúl has scored 44 goals for Spain, surpassing the likes of Hierro, Butragueño, Di Stéfano and Santillana.

In 2006 the Real Madrid captain was awarded the Royal Order’s Gold Medal for Sports Merit.

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The Huntelaar strike and passes Sneijder allow to Real Madrid sleep to three points of FC Barcelona

Whites are recomposed his disposal ‘Champions’ with a win at San Mames

Real Madrid sleeps three points of FC Barcelona, after adding his fifth consecutive victory today as a visitor at the San Mames Athletic bronco in a duel, in which whites were allowed to pick a head start of two many to finally win by 2 -5 to Huntelaar, who made two many, and Sneijder as styli.

The match began with Juande Ramos Athletic trying to surprise the two extremes-pure-Robben and Marcelo Higuaín to leave on the bench. The experiment also included manchego Sneijder in the double pivot, a position in which the Dutch signed today is the best of the season with two assists and a goal in regular play.

Raised and the things, the ‘Lions’ left little active, whereas the risk in projected Merengues incursions by Banda. Was measured on a pass from Sneijder andalusia hollow when Robben found the opportunity to slip up and define the area girl with a powerful shot before leaving Iraizoz.

Whites continued to make progress in their game, while the Bilbao were unable to build anything, the result of equality in the air duel between Metzelder and Llorente. In these, Sneijder again only to stop Robben versus Iraizoz, this time due to pass to his compatriot Huntelaar scored a door shoots.

Sneijder continued to throw a festival in which the lack of outside play failed and left Bilbao Heinze, another claimed he wanted, in anticipation of heading unbranded Iraizoz. But the wisdom of ‘El Gringo’ in destitution became targets for two minutes later when Argentina entered its own target center David Lopez.

The move cut rojiblanco brought controversy, as Sneijder was lying on the pitch when Yeste launched a door for Casillas and rejected as a result there is the goal. The goalkeeper was a reproach to the master action Bilbao responded to a shove, which cost him his expulsion by a direct red, repeating the action that had the same punishment weeks ago in Valladolid.

Athletic warmed her and took pride in ‘leon’. Sneijder had his boot on the ruling, but his ball went high in millimeters. Those who do not forgive, the Basques, which over time cumpludo, met with a center of igualada Iraola that disappeared Llorente finished so lean and Casillas’ sang ‘in your DMZ.

On the resumption, the white silence of the fans at San Mames with a move to the first touch between Raul and Sneijder, which he defined as a ‘killer’ Huntelaar. The Dutchman showed his qualities as a matador in the area the next time he had when Sneijder took a pass in the hollow of a reject from a corner of the Athletic, Robben ran up three quarters of play and set Huntelaar of petroleum output Iraizoz .

Satisfaction was white, since recompuso Casillas was in this period of spectacular stops with error. Raul and Robben rested the last half hour, and the ‘marginalized’ and Faubert Parejo had minutes to demonstrate why their substitutions.

Athletic are deranged in their protests Muñiz, who threw out two components of the bench, while Pepe and Metzelder showed their quality in the ‘drain’ ball over. Higuaín underpinned the result in the final minutes after converting a penalty committed on Marcelo.

DATA:

RESULT: Athletic Bilbao 2 – REAL MADRID, 5 (2-2, rest).

TEAMS.

ATHLETIC: Iraizoz, Iraola, Aitor Ocio, Amorebieta, Koikili (Valenciaga, min. 46), Javi Martínez, Orbaiz (Susaeta, min. 56), David Lopez (Gurpegui, min. 52), Yeste, Llorente and Toquero.

REAL MADRID: Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Metzelder, Pepe, Heinze, Marcelo, Lass, Sneijder, Raúl (Higuaín, min. 64), Robben (Faubert, min. 66) and Huntelaar (Parejo, min. 79).

GOALS.

0 – 1. Min, 22. Robben.

0 – 2. Min, 34. Heinze.

1-2. Min, 36. Heinze, own goal.

2-2. Min, 45. Llorente.

2-3. Min, 47. Huntelaar.

2-4. Min, 61. Huntelaar.

2-5. Min, 84. Higuaín, penalty.

Referee: Muniz Fernandez (C. Asturiano). Admonished by the Athletic to Iraola (min. 4), Koikiki (min. 5), Aitor Ocio (min. 37), Javi Martínez (min. 38), Amorebieta (min. 56) and Gurpegui (min. 88). And also expelled Yeste (min. 37), Ion Velez (min. 57), Luciano Marín (min. 71). Admonished by the Real Madrid Huntelaar (min. 40), Wesley Sneijder (min. 45), Parejo (min. 81) and Higuaín (min. 82).

Stadium: San Mames. 40,000 spectators.

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