There you will find from now on everything about the cutest bromance ever. This blogger site will not be updated any more. But of course you can still enjoy the posts I wrote until now.
Family Lunch
The whole Real Madrid football and basketball family came together this afternoon for the traditional Christmas Lunch
Visiting children in hospitals
Then the football and basketball players visited some hospitals to give presents to the children and trurned to "Angeles Blancos" :o)
Observations:
No "Cris & Kaká together" pictures :o(
Did Pepe give Cristiano a scarf of his wide-range collection? :o)
Another obvious demonstration that there is nothing true about the Iker-Cristiano feud: the two made their hospital visit together
-> Peace on Earth and at Real Madrid :o)
Cristiano apparently was in a very peaceful and mellow mood.
Several times during the match, he was the peacemaker when it came to conflicts on the pitch and he was protective to Mesut like a big brother. Angelic!
Maybe he wants to be a good example for his little son?
Or is it only the simple and natural fact that he ist maturing?
Sometimes we forget that he is only 25.
Did he recently realise that as a footballer he no more is always "the youngest", as he used to be since his childhood, and feels more responsible?
Papa Mou's positive influence?
Or is Cris just feeling the spirit of Christmas?
Anyway, I loved to see him like that: grown-up, caring, responsible. Keep it up, Cris!
I love his tricks, it appears so easy
Absolute concentration before the freekick - fascinating!
It was not easy for the Madridistas to keep calm after the questionable performance of the referee. But a bit of irony and understatement said it all, what they REALLY think :o)
Comments after the match
Jorge Valdano
"It's hard to imagine a more agonising match. We fought hard and many things happened both by the book and against it."
"We don't talk about referees. Tonight's didn't showcase a clear criteria and made serious mistakes, but I'd rather not comment on them." http://www.realmadrid.com/
Iker Casillas
"Referee Clos Gomez gave an unfortunate performance, but he's done a very good job in the past. He didn't allow us to discuss decisions with him tonight and I think discussions are essential on a football pitch."
"unfortunate" - well that's really understatement - nearly British Underatatement :o)
Sergio Ramos
"These three points are glorious given the circumstances." Glorious? Not really. But appropriate. http://www.realmadrid.com/
Angel di Maria
We saw many bookings that were uncalled for, but the referee decided to handle the game that way."
"I didn't think much when I scored, only that it was a goal. I found a narrow opening between Palop and the goal and shot the ball through it to score." Again: understatement at it's best, talking about his really beautiful goal.
After all these quite modest statements, here comes The Special One!
Mou at his best. I put the whole statement here for our pleasure. Read and enjoy
José Mourinho
"Tonight's victory will be very frustrating for those who wanted us to lag 4 or 5 points behind Barcelona."
"My team is from another world. It has otherworldly character. Only Mou to make such comments!
It did the impossible with the absence of important men. I am more than happy with my side. It's a shame we have to play on Wednesday because my men deserve a holiday after the hard work they've done these past few months."
"I am calm thanks to the excellent work all my players did tonight. The match had the perfect conditions for Barcelona's cushion over us to grow larger. We lacked two players for practically doing nothing wrong against Zaragoza. Tonight's victory will be very frustrating for those who wanted us to lag 4 or 5 points behind Barcelona. Haha!
This makes us stronger. Everything was ripe for us to drop points, but we didn't."
"I'm not tired of doing things I like to do, like training and playing. I don't feel any pressure, but I do get tired when I get a list that points out 13 serious mistakes made by the referee tonight and to have to defend my team. My team has to be defended because it deserves to. I'd rather ask for a meeting with the President. We speak every week. We will talk about my life during the period I've been coaching Real Madrid. We have a right to have differences of opinion. I want to defend Real Madrid and my team."
"I have a fantastic side, both on and off the pitch. We've been working very hard for six months and we've only earned one bad result. We've been playing quality football, earning good results and showcasing drive and devotion all this time. I am extremely proud to coach these players and this team."
"The stadium is always packed and the crowd always supports the team. People aren't stupid and they know this squad gives its all. I would prefer they cheered more, but I have no right to ask more of them. It's all down to coming from different cultures in what regards behaviour at a stadium, that's all."
"I am very happy and feel very proud for Inter Milan's success in the FIFA Club World Cup. It was a great pleasure to train them, just as it is to coach Real Madrid. I thought Rafa Benitez would thank me for practically winning the title for him, but ... Inter Milan fans would tell you how they really feel about it." Right, Mou, never bee too modest :o)
>irony mode on< Man of the Match: Referee Clos Gomez >irony mode off<
Referee Clos Gomez was in the center of attention, making several mistakes to the disadvantage of Real Madrid.
Uff, that was a hard-won match!
Not very entertaining or beautiful, but in the end the result is what's counting. And so we can at least be contented that 3 points were saved and Real Madrid remains undefeated at home.
But I confess that I would prefer glorious victories, even more so after Barcelona's triumph yesterday. But OK, 3 points!
43' once again wrong offside decision when Özil passed to Benzema, but the referee whistled
46' freekick Sevilla, Pepe again cleared.
After the first half: 70% ball possession for Real Madrid, but still 0:0
51' great freekick Cristiano, goalie saved.
58' biggest chance for Sevilla's Negrero. Iker had to make a great effort to save.
60' di Maria dived, trying to get a penalty, but it wasn't given
61' Benzema and Khedira out; Pedro Leon and Granero in.
63' yellow-red card for Carvalho after ellbow-check.
70' foul on Pedro Leon in the box - no penalty given
77' goal di Maria, after Özil's excellent dribbling and fighting for the ball - finally!
77. minute Özil out, Albiol in
-> Mou wanted to secure the result, even more as Los Blancos had 1 player less.
90' well-deserved red card for Dabo after hitting di Maria, then it was over.
Cristiano had some good scenes, but like the whole team, he didn't show his best.
Positive: no theatrics at all. But that wasn't valued by the referee who at least twice didn't punish fouls against Cristiano. But anyway, I like that attitude from Cris.
Marcelo and Xabi were missed badly.
Even a not so good match produces nice pictures :o)
Kaká is back! Kaká today returned to normal training with his teammates.
Yes! And Cristiano & Kaká are together again on the field, for the beginning at least in the training. This makes my day. I'm happy :o)
Finally!
Kaká was overjoyed and tweeted:
Thanks. God willing, only the fact to return playing would be a great victory.
Mou said in today's press conference:
"Kaka was very excited and moved for training with the team again today. We want him to continue to work with his team-mates until Wednesday. We want him to train with the squad more often after the holidays in order to be able to play, or at least be benched, by mid-January."
Iker once and for all finished the discussions about him and Cristiano. He put this most cute picture on his Facebook, wishing us "Feliz Navidad". Iker once again shows character. A very sweet gesture.
... all those things come to my mind when I am thinking of what to post today.
1. Papa Cristiano
Today his baby boy is six months old. Congratulations to the proud father!
Remark: Cristiano jr. is born on June 17, just as I am :o)
2. The Iker-Cristiano "feud"
Really, I didn't want to post one single word about this media bullshit hype. But as everybody talks about it, I only want to remark that this episode happened in September.
Of course Cristiano in the first moment wasn't pleased to hear from his captain's girlfriend - a sports journalist - that he is selfish and egoistic. But Iker and Cris talked about the issue and it was OK.
That could be seen on various occasions, e.g. before the Portugal-Spain match on November 17, more than 2 months after the incident. Cris and Iker didn't appear to be enemies at all. Just look at their body language and the look in their eyes. They feel very comfortable together.
And today Iker assured that there is nothing about these rumours:
"There are people who try to create controversy and a bad atmosphere within the team when in fact it is just the opposite. Cristiano and I get along very well. We come from different places, but it doesn't mean we are distant or have confrontations. Quite the opposite. There are no groups or clicks here. There is a great atmosphere. We are a young group and we get along. There are good vibes all around. We must move on and not be concerned about such stupidities."
Well said! Stupidities!
3. Kaká's return is near:
"I'm keen to return and I hope, if all goes well, I'll be back playing again after the Christmas break."
Yes, please! We are all awaiting you!
4. Lyon!
Somehow I sensed it: Lyon!
And when it was clear that Lyon really will be Real Madrid's opponent in the round of the last 16 of the Champoins Leagues, I thought "oh no!"
Buton the otherhand,Lyonisnot a more difficult opponentthanthe otherdrawopportunities.
Andourteamisgood enough towinagainstLyon,nodoubt about that. After last CL season's bitter defeat, Los Blancos will not underestimateLyon,but also havenofear.But respect. So actually,the conditions are goodto overcome the Lyon-trauma and reach the quarter finals. Especially since our team is extremely strong at home. So I am very confident.I am counting on Mou's cleverness and psychologicalsensitivity.Andontheself-confidenceand abilityof ourplayers.
5. Tweeting is revealing
I like to read Kaká's and Cristiano's tweets. Because these short messages - maybe sometimes unintentionally - reveal many things about the authors I didn't know before.
Kaká (1500 tweets) used to tweet much more than Cristiano (230 tweets), but Cris recently catches up.
Cristiano likes karaoke, playing video games, Denzel Washington films, Will Ferrell's humour, family traditions ...
Cristiano only recently began communicating directly with his fans. But his tweets with friends and family he keeps private.
Also, he began to follow more people, not only Kaká and 2 or 3 others like before. It's a quite eclectic choice: Paulo Coelho, Lady Gaga, Lance Armstrong, Alejandro Sanz, Ashton Kutcher, teammates Kaká (until recently the only person Cris followed), Sergio Ramos, Xabi Alonso, Alvaro Arbeloa, ...
Kaká uses Twitter much more frequently than Cristiano and more for communicating with his family and friends. So we can learn a lot about his relations. He also answers messages from his fans. And of course there is always religion involved. For me a bit too much, but that's our Kaká.
The Real Madrid Foundation presented the 'No Child Without a Toy in Christmas' campaign in the Press Room of the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. It is aimed at children in residencies and children of immigrants. http://www.realmadrid.com/
Kaká and Pedro Léon represented the first team and brought joy to the little ones that don't live on the sunny side. Such gestures sometimes have more meaning than big events. Very sweet!
Today Cristiano trained together with the team on the grass again. I don't know why he worked out indoors yesterday. Was he not feeling well? Or training with Kaká and the other recovering teammates?
I liked his outfit: summer training pants, but gloves, turtleneck and his cute beanie. Later, after warming up, he could bear the cold without gloves and beanie :o)
After yesterday's mediocre performance in Zaragoza I was interested in Mou's reaction ... and he didn't disappoint me! :o)
Here are Mou's and Cristiano's statements after the game and my comments to the comments (in green):
José Mourinho
"Lass was the man of the match." I 100% agree!"
"We played a great match, although our opponent had the mental strength to answer back after trailing." Mou always manages to surprise me, I didn't see a great match."
"Whether you play with cats or dogs, it's the tactics that matter, not the players. The dog is the usual system with two forwards and that has made us strong and aggressive. The cat is an alternate system with three central midfielders. I thought people were smarter and knew what I was talking about." I love you, Mou! Only you can make such statements!
"Cristiano Ronaldo is a phenomenal player difficult to understand because La Liga has many talented players. When such a talent like he is is treated badly, it leads me to believe that he is not protected enough. He belongs to La Liga and to Spanish fans who watch him on television or in the stands. I don't even protect him. He always plays. He puts on a show in every stadium he visits. Cristiano is a tremendous professional and he scored one of the best goals of his collection." Where can I sign this statement? :o) http://www.realmadrid.com
Cristiano
"My goal is a sign that the team is working hard. It was one of the best goals of my career. We are playing well. I wouldn't have been able to score had my teammates not provoked the foul. I am pleased. We want to extend this win streak as long as we can."
"We were very relaxed at the start and Zaragoza came out motivated. Things got a lot easier once we scored. That is when we started to play better. It wasn't an easy match. They started off strong, but Ozil's goal served us well and helped us take control."
Interview after the match:
I like it how expressive Cristiano is, especially when he raises his eyebrow - only one :o)
Everybody talked about Mou's cats&dogs anecdote, "Aristocats"
and Cristiano's beautiful and powerful freekick:
For our pleasure: Cristiano's freekick rocket (105 km/h)
And of course here again the cute Cris+Kaká goal celebration:
In the first 15 minutes Zaragoza played surprisingly confident, given the fact that they are last in the table. Iker - in his 400th game for Real Madrid - even had to make a great save of Lafita's shot.
Everytime when Cristianol touched the ball, a big whistling concert started. But this was punished in the 43. minute, when Cristiano passed the ball with a beautiful backheel pass to Marcelo, who served Özil with a precise pass. Mesut stood unattacked and finished this marvellous play with his goal.
After that Zaragoza couldn't continue their good effort.
Marcelo was once again remarkably active in the attack and Lass played very solid.
Los Blancos were in control of the match for the rest of the first half, with the exception of 1 good shot from Lafita, but Marcelo cleared.
Cristiano played OK, but apart from initiating the goal, he wasn't in the center of attention.
But his time came in the 32. minute with a freekick. Crsitiano hammered the ball unreachable into the net, the goalkeeper could only stand there bewildered.
That's called efficiency: initiating the first goal, scoring the second and inbetween that not too much brilliance.
After that, not so much happened on the filed until the break.
Shortly after the kickoff of the second half, di Maria, scoresd a beautiful goal, the pass came from Xabi Alonso.
Later on Benzema rushed towards the goal and is fouled. This should have been a red card because Benzema was the last man. But the referee only pulled out the yellow card.
In the 53. minute Carvalho committed a foul - penalty Zaragoza. A sharp shot by Gabi, 1:3. This gave Zaragoza new courage and they played more determined.
Benzema had a good scoring chance after Cristiano served him the ball, but couldn't fully control it, so the shot was too weak.
Then the match became a bit boring: Los Blancos only did as much as necessary to secure the result and and Zaragoza weren't able to show any more.
In the 80. minute Lass nearly scored after a fine serve from Di Maria, but didn't have the necessary luck.
3 minutes before the end of the match Morata could make his debut and shortly after that nearly scored. In the next minutes he took his chance to show his skills. Short but good debut!
Observation: Mou didn't appear very contented in some phases of the match and once hit his head when he jumped up from bench. Ouch!
Cristiano's spectacular freekick goal: From deepest concentration to relaxation and joy ...
I especially loved his expression in the third picture and his Cris+Kaká celebration gesture. Adorable!
Waiting for tonight's match vs. Zaragoza, I made 2 video stills compilations of Cristiano on the pitch. I'm looking forward to much more of that tonight.
I made a compilatiuon with cute and sweet baby Cristiano and his proud papa.
Cristiano jr. already flirts with the neighbour girl :o)
Like father, like son.
