Football Mag

Real Madrid have refused to rule out selling Isco and Marco Asensio if the money could be reinvested in signing Manchester United's Paul Pogba or another marquee midfielder, as per reports. Madrid have already spent over €300 million shaking up a squad which failed in 2018-19, with Eden Hazard the headline addition to their forward line, and centre-forward Luka Jovic and winger Rodrygo also arriving. That puts the futures of Isco, Asensio, Mariano and Gareth Bale in doubt as coach Zinedine Zidane remains keen to add a new central midfielder. They would be open to selling Isco if a "big offer" is received and that Borussia Dortmund had made an initial enquiry, but the 27-year-old himself decided the Bundesliga club were not "important enough." The club are still looking to sell at least one big name this summer, although at this point even Zidane is accepting that it will be difficult to sell Bale at their €80-100m asking price. Zidane remains hopeful...

Vinicius Junior will be sidelined until the tail end of the season after Real Madrid confirmed the Brazilian teenager has torn calf ligaments in his right leg. The winger sustained the injury in the first half of Madrid's Champions League defeat at the hands of Ajax on Tuesday. He was substituted in the 35th minute, with Ajax leading 2-0, and the Eredivisie side went on to win 4-1 and dump the three-time defending champions out in the round of 16. Madrid gave no timescale for his recovery in a statement released on Wednesday but reports have suggested he will miss the next two months. "After the tests made today to our player Vinicius by the medical team of Real Madrid, he has been diagnosed with a torn ligament in his right calf. Further evaluation pending," the statement said. The injury to Vinicius will also come as a blow to his international aspirations, with the 18-year-old having been called up to the Brazil squad for the first time.

Jose Mourinho would have "no problem" returning to Real Madrid as coach, stoking the rumours linking him as a potential successor to Santiago Solari. It has been a turbulent season for both Mourinho and Madrid, as the Portuguese manager lost his job at Manchester United in December, while Los Blancos have underwhelmed under two coaches. Solari took charge of Madrid in October last year, and although he has overseen a moderate improvement from the end of Julen Lopetegui's brief spell, in no way have they caught the imagination of supporters. When asked if he would go back to a former club, Mourinho told beIN SPORTS: "To a club that I have been before? If I think the right club, the right structure, the right ambitions, I will have no problem at all. "I think it's really a reason of pride when a club where you worked before wanting you back. They [Madrid] are the iconic club, I think so, you know, [they have won] 13 Champions Leagues [titles]."

Gareth Bale’s agent has blasted the treatment of the Wales international from Real Madrid supporters as “nothing short of a disgrace”. Despite having formed part of a trophy-laden era for the Blancos, a 29-year-old forward continues to have his critics in the Spanish capital. Jonathan Barnett believes Madrid fans would be wise to remember as much, with Bale having contributed significantly to the success of the club in recent seasons. Barnett told Sky Sports: "This generation of Real fans will be talking about Gareth's goals for years to come. Frankly, they should be ashamed of themselves. "Gareth deserves the greatest of respect. The way Real fans have treated him is nothing short of a disgrace. "In the six years he has been in Spain, he has won everything. He's one of the best players in the world. Those fans should be kissing his feet."

Another Clasico at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu ended with a win for Barcelona, but the latest one undoubtedly has an even more special meaning for the victors. Their win on Wednesday night in the Copa del Rey tied the win totals between the teams, but with Saturday's success Barcelona now have 96 wins, while Real Madrid have 95 and there have been 51 draws. Real Madrid have been giving up the advantage they had ever more steadily in recent years, particularly due to their negative streak at home. The two triumphs in a week do nothing but confirm the trend of recent years when the Blaugrana come to town, having won on each of their last four league visits. Barcelona have now won 31 times in the capital in Clasicos and proof of their dominance comes with 11 wins in the past decade. The 6-2 win in 2009 was the start of it all and other highlights have come with the 2-0 Champions League semi-final win, the 4-3 thriller in 2012/13, the 4-0 win in 2015, the dramatic 3-2 success in 2...

Lionel Messi had blood in his mouth after a clash with Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos during Saturday's La Liga Clasico, claims Gerard Pique. Messi and Ramos were involved in a flashpoint in the first half of Barca's 1-0 win at the Santiago Bernabeu that moved Ernesto Valverde's men 10 points clear at the top of the La Liga table. Ramos knocked the ball past Messi but then seemed to thrust his arm into the face of the Barcelona captain, who made his displeasure clear to the officials, although Madrid's skipper was not punished. "Leo had blood in his mouth," said Pique. "It was an aggression. "Intensity does not have to be measured. I get along great with the Real Madrid players. "But when you go out to the field you defend your colours and the rivalry is what you get. "But once the game is over, the cordiality is mutual, the players respect us very much."

Jose Mourinho has slammed Real Madrid's "soft performance" in their 1-0 Clasico defeat to Barcelona on Saturday. Ivan Rakitic scored in the first half at the Santiago Bernabeu and the Croatian's goal stood up as the only tally of the match. With the loss, Madrid fell 12 points behind first-place Barcelona, effectively ending their La Liga title hopes for the season. Mourinho, who managed Real Madrid between 2010 and 2013, saw his former team low on confidence in Saturday's Clasico. "It was not a happy performance. It was not the performance of a happy team," Mourinho said on beIN Sports. "It was not the performance of a team with great belief and self-esteem. "Clearly they are now in a zone after a few bad results, especially in the cup match, where they are in a low." "They couldn't bring to the game what I used to call the temperature of the big matches," Mourinho continued. "They were passive. I cannot speak about ...

Ivan Rakitic scored a delightful winning goal as Barcelona triumphed 1-0 in a tight Clasico clash with Real Madrid to move 10 points clear at the top of the LaLiga table.    Barca won 3-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu to reach the Copa del Rey final in midweek and, three days later, they prevailed once more at the home of their bitter rivals in a game that saw captains Sergio Ramos and Lionel Messi involved in a flashpoint.    Rakitic struck the only goal with a cute chip that beat Thibaut Courtois with Barca comfortably holding Los Blancos at bay to inflict more Clasico misery and consecutive home league losses on Madrid.    And with Santiago Solari's side now 12 points behind Barca the title race may be almost over as a contest, although Atletico Madrid can stay in the hunt by winning at Real Sociedad on Sunday.

Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos has been handed an extra one-match Champions League ban by UEFA for deliberately picking up a booking against Ajax earlier this month. Ramos was shown a yellow card in the closing stages of Real's 2-1 victory in Amsterdam, which means he is suspended for the last-16 second leg at Santiago Bernabeu on March 5. The Spain international then suggested in an interview after the match that he had been booked intentionally so as to avoid the risk of a suspension in the quarter-finals, although he later backtracked on those comments. However, UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) have now adjudged that Ramos had deliberately got himself booked and have issued an additional ban, meaning he will miss the first leg of the quarter-final should Real progress. “The CEDB has decided to suspend the Real Madrid CF player Sergio Ramos for two UEFA competition matches for which he would be otherwise eligible for clearly receiving a yellow car...

Vinicius Junior has been named as part of a strong Brazil squad for March's Chevrolet Brasil Global Tour matches against Panama and Czech Republic. The Real Madrid star will be hoping to make his senior international debut following an impressive first season in Spain that has seen him emerge as one of the club’s most important players under new coach Santiago Solari. PSG right-back Dani Alves has also re-joined the squad and is set to make his first international appearance since suffering an injury shortly before World Cup 2018. Gabriel Brazao, Dede, Pablo, Marcelo, Paulinho, Walace, Willian and Douglas Costa were all left out. Goalkeepers: Alisson (Liverpool), Ederson (Man City), Weverton (Palmeiras). Centre-backs : Eder Militao (Porto), Marquinhos (PSG), Miranda (Inter), Thiago Silva (PSG). Full-backs: Dani Alves (PSG) , Danilo (Man City), Filipe Luis (Atletico Madrid), Alex Sandro (Juventus). Midfielders: Allan (Napoli), Arthur (Barcelona), Casemiro (Real Madrid), Fabinho (...

Barcelona are into the Copa del Rey final for the sixth year in a row after a 3-0 win over Real Madrid on Wednesday sealed a 4-1 aggregate semi-final victory. Luis Suarez scored twice in the second half either side of a Raphael Varane own goal to send the Catalans through and keep their treble hopes alive. Madrid had gone into the second leg with a slight edge following a 1-1 draw at Camp Nou, but they failed to best Marc-Andre ter Stegen with some clear-cut chances in the first half. Vinicius Junior was the biggest attacking threat in some cagey opening minutes, seeing a shot well blocked by Ter Stegen after earlier having a penalty appeal waved away. Ter Stegen again came to Barca's rescue 10 minutes before the break, denying Karim Benzema on the half-volley, before Vinicius steered the ball over the bar from Sergio Reguilon's low cross. However, 50 minutes in, Barca's attack finally came to life. Ousmane Dembele raced away from Dani Carvajal and c...

Real Madrid midfielder Isco has been left out of Santiago Solari's Copa del Reysemi-final squad to face Barcelona on Wednesday. Isco returned to full training at the start of the week after recovering from a back injury, but he will play no part in the crucial showdown with Barca this evening. Solari has opted to leave the Spaniard out of the second-leg clash, with Madrid looking to build on a positive 1-1 draw at the Camp Nou in the first leg on February 6. The Blancos boss has used Isco sparingly during his short reign at the helm, amid reports of a fractious relationship between the pair . Isco has yet to start a single league game under Solari, with speculation swirling that the 26-year-old will leave the club at the end of the season. Madrid have won eight of their last 10 matches across all competitions, but a 2-1 home defeat to Girona last week stalled their recent progress. As a consequence of that result, they slipped nine points behind Barca in the Liga title race, b...

Gareth Bale will not receive any sort of ban for his celebration in Real Madrid's recent victory over Atletico Madrid. Bale was introduced in the second half of the match and scored quickly upon entering the fray. He scored Real's third and final goal in the 3-1 win over the club's crosstown rivals, and the finish was his 100th for the club. However, it was a finish that ended in controversy as Bale was reported to authorities for “a gesture of possible obscene and derogatory meaning” as a result of the ensuing celebration. However, the incident was not reported by the referee in his match report and the Spanish federation have opted to not punish the Welsh winger for the celebration at all. It's not the only celebration row Bale has found himself in recent weeks, having also earned criticism for pushing away Lucas Vazquez after scoring from the spot in this past weekend's win over Levante.

Ramos Charged by UEFA for Deliberate Booking Sergio Ramos has been charged by UEFA for deliberately earning a yellow card in Real Madrid's Champions League last-16 first-leg win at Ajax. The Spain international was booked in the 89th minute of his side’s 2-1 victory in Amsterdam, which means he is suspended for the second leg at Santiago Bernabeu on March 5. Ramos suggested in an interview after the match that he had been booked intentionally so as to avoid the risk of a suspension in the quarter-finals, although he later backtracked on those comments. However, UEFA has opted to charge the Madrid captain with receiving a yellow card on purpose, with their Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body to hear the case on Thursday. Last week, Valencia midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia was given a two-match ban by UEFA for being booked deliberately in the Europa League meeting with Celtic. The midfielder was given a yellow card in the 82nd minute of his side’s 2-0 win in Glasgow for...

Real Madrid's players - including Gareth Bale - are "standing united" as they prepare for two Clasicos against Barcelona in four days, says boss Santiago Solari. Real host Barca in the Copa del Rey semi-final second leg on Wednesday, having drawn the first game 1-1, and then again in La Liga on Saturday. Bale refused to celebrate when he scored in Sunday's 2-1 win at Levante. "Some things that stay in the dressing room remain private," said Solari. "I understand everyone wants to find a focus and you put the focus where it seems important. "But our focus is only on what we think is important. It is on the game, to win on Wednesday, to be united. Where others focus is up to them."

Karim Benzema would be forgiven for lamenting the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid, but the striker admits he is happy to be be playing his "real football" as he takes charge of leading the club's attack. “Before there was a guy who scored more than 50 goals per season and my role was to provide assists,” the striker said. “I played to help Cristiano, we formed a good partnership. I was always looking for him with the intention of helping him to score even more goals." “Now though, I'm the leader of the attack. It's up to me to make the difference. I'm very happy because now I can play my real football.” Benzema enjoyed 10 fruitful years alongside one of football's all-time greats, forming an unspoken link with the Portuguese attacker that would help propel the Spanish capital club to two La Liga crowns and four Champions League titles.

Vinicius Junior has boldly declared that Lionel Messi does not scare Real Madrid, with the Blancos preparing for back-to-back Clasico clashes with Barcelona and their talismanic skipper. The first of those fixtures is set to be staged on Wednesday, as Santiago Bernabeu plays host to the second leg of a Copa del Rey semi-final. That contest, which is currently locked at 1-1, will be followed on Saturday by another derby duel in the Spanish capital. Madrid head into those outings short of their best, but the same could be said of Barca. Vinicius insists the Blancos, who edged out Levante in their most recent outing to remain nine points adrift of their arch-rivals in the Liga title race , are ready for the challenges to come. He told reporters: “We're ready for El Clasico. “There's two in one week and we know all football fans look forward to them. “I can't wait to play in it, it's a very important match. Every player would love to be involved in a Clasico!” The Brazilian...

Re al Madrid returned to winning ways in LaLiga on Sunday with a 2-1 defeat of Levante, as they made the most of two key interventions from VAR at Ciutat de Valencia. Roger Marti looked to have earned a point after cancelling out Karim Benzema's first-half penalty, but a second spot-kick, also awarded after help from the video assistant, allowed Gareth Bale to secure the victory before each side had a player sent off. Madrid were handed their breakthrough 43 minutes in, though, when Enis Bardhi was penalised for handball after a VAR review, allowing Benzema to sweep home the opening goal from the spot. But Roger finally found the net on the hour mark, sliding in front of Nacho on the sodden pitch to steer Jose Luis Morales' low cross from the left just beyond the reach of Courtois and into the right-hand corner. However, Casemiro went to ground after Cheick Doukoure appeared to make the slightest contact with his shin with a rash attempted clearance, and Bale confi...

Chelsea star Eden Hazard has the talent and personality to play for La Ligagiants Real Madrid, according to his former manager Jose Mourinho. Hazard, 28, revealed earlier this month he had made a decision on his future, but whether he is staying at Stamford Bridge or leaving remains unclear. The Belgium international is contracted until 2020, yet has been linked consistently with a switch to Madrid. Mourinho, his former coach and an ex-Madrid boss, is unsure what Hazard will do, but he believes the attacker is capable of starring at the Santiago Bernabeu. "Eden's ambitions... playing at Chelsea his whole life or going out to a giant like Real Madrid?" he told DAZN on Sunday. "Let's talk about talent. Does he have the talent to play for Real Madrid? He does. Does he have the personality to wear a super heavy shirt and play in front of a crowd like the Bernabeu? He has personality, yes."

Carlo Ancelotti has revealed how the “selfishness” of Gareth Bale contributed to a “mess” at Real Madrid and his subsequent departure from the club in 2015. The Italian took the reins at the Santiago Bernabeu in 2013. In his first season at the helm he delivered La Decima, with Real claiming the Champions League crown for the 10th time in their history. Ancelotti would last just one more year before being moved on, with club president Florentino Perez claiming that decision was “very difficult”. “If there is something that drives me crazy, it is selfishness. When a player has to pass the ball and does not pass it,” Ancelotti told Il Napolista . “I paid for that in the first person. At Madrid, I took off Bale in a game against Valencia. He had to pass the ball to [Karim] Benzema, who would have scored into an empty goal, but instead of that, he shot [and missed]. “It was the reason that triggered an argument with Florentino, I took him off and the mess began there.” Ancelotti, who mo...