It’s an open secret that managing Real Madrid isn’t exactly the best job in the world. Aside from the ludicrously high expectations, the massive egos of the players, and the fickleness of the fans, managers sometimes can’t even field what they see as the best team because of political pressure.
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 50 goals for the sixth consecutive season. He’s the first to ever do so.
It’s getting harder and harder to address Ronaldo as anything other than one of the greatest players of all time. Every time we think he is past it, or overrated, he goes and scores goals, lots and lots of goals. It’s like we’re calling an investment banker washed up and he goes and makes a million in a day.
Forbes have released their annual list of the world’s richest clubs, and the results reveal a dramatic shift in global football. While Real Madrid occupy the top spot for the fourth consecutive year (valued at $3.645 billion), English clubs now occupy six of the top 10 spots. Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur have each seen their value increase by over 40% in one-year.
Looking back, Gareth Bale’s first year at Real Madrid was a resounding success. He scored 22 goals and provided 19 assists in 44 matches in 2013/14, won the Copa del Rey, and the Champions League. He lived up to his billing as the most expensive footballer on the planet, but it didn’t always look like he would.
Yaya Toure’s UEFA Champions League testimonial match went off without a hitch on Wednesday, the Manchester City midfielder ponderously strolling around the Bernabéu pitch and gently reminding his teammates not to forget his going away cake.
Like Ernest Hemingway’s aging Cuban fisherman Santiago, it almost certainly would've taken 85 days of play before Toure could've netted a goal against Real Madrid.
After a largely drama-free edition of the Champions League semi-finals, we get an already drama-filled Madrid Derby Champions League final. This will be fun.
It almost didn't happen, though, as the second leg of Manchester City vs. Real Madrid was nearly as much of a snoozer as the first leg. Gareth Bale supplied one piece of entertainment when his shot/cross/thing hit Fernando's leg and then went past Joe Hart and into the net.
On the score sheet, it will go down as Fernando's own goal due to deflection, but it was Gareth Bale's run and chip that got the scoring going in the last match of the Champions League semi finals. Real Madrid scored in the 20th minute and held on to defeat Manchester City 1 - 0 to advance to the Champions League final. Both teams traded chances as Bale hit the woodwork and Aguero had a shot just inches over the bar.
The city will be divided as Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid will face off in Milan on May 28th.
In the Champions League quarterfinals, Real Madrid were in a dire situation, having lost the first leg at Wolfsburg. A Cristiano Ronaldo hat trick later, they were in the semifinals.
It's not quite so dire this time for Madrid, having drawn the semi-final first leg 0-0 in Manchester, but they basically need to win to advance.
Good news for Real Madrid fans: Cristiano Ronaldo is back in training. The club announced their superstar Portuguese winger completed a training session Monday, leaving the door open for the Ballon d'Or runner-up to take the pitch in the Champions League later this week.