Tag: Real Madrid

Liverpool are 'strongly interested' in signing Benfica left-back Álvaro Carreras, according to a report from O Jogo. The Reds haven't made that many signings in recent months, but it feels like a move for Carreras could change that as they are pushing to sign him, especially after his performance in Benfica's stunning (and satisfying) 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid in early October. Carreras was one of their best players, and it has left an impression on many top clubs across Europe. The report says that Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester United are also among those interested in signing the highly-rated full-back who has taken Portuguese football by storm in the last couple of months - playing the most outfield minutes out of everyone in the current Benfica squad - and it seems lik...

Real Madrid have begun the 2024-25 season on a positive note. Even though the performances during the first two months of the season have been a mixed bag, with a feeling that this team is yet to unlock its full potential, the results have been there. 10 games, seven wins, three draws, and no defeats. Add to that the UEFA Super Cup trophy to kick off the season, and the arrival of Kylian Mbappé to an already very strong outfit. Things don't look as bleak as they have been made to be. Speaking of Mbappé, the general consensus among the Madridistas and the media has been that the Frenchman is still finding his feet within Carlo Ancelotti's system. Ancelotti fired Real Madrid to the double last season, employing a 4-4-2 tactical scheme with Vini Jr. and Rodrygo as the strikers and Ju...

After a statement-making 2-0 victory over Real Betis prior to the September international "break", Real Madrid will face another top side in LaLiga next weekend, Real Sociedad. La Real have begun the season with just one win in four games, ranking 12th in the league with four points. However, Real Sociedad are traditionally a tough opponent for Real Madrid and Champions League contenders. Plus, they will be at home this Saturday night. Real Sociedad have a number of great players in their starting lineup, but the benchmark for any player is being good enough to make the Real Madrid squad, as they are the clear defending champions of Spanish football. There may only be one player on Real Sociedad who has a legitimate chance of actually starting games for Real Madrid - even then tha...

I always find it funny how the Ballon d'Or narrative changes over the course of a year - or season, now that the timeframe of the award has changed. Like, when the 2023/24 season first started, all anyone could do was praise Jude Bellingham for taking LaLiga by storm, putting Real Madrid back on top, and scoring bangers in El Clasico to help affirm Real's return to dominance. The guy was leading the league in goals as a midfielder, and while his performances did decline a bit in the second half of the season, we are talking about a decline from being by far the best player in Europe to "just" being great. And it's not like Bellingham was bad at the Euros either. England almost won it, and he was literally the best player in the Final which England came agonizingly close to winning...

Real Madrid, regarded as the most successful football club in history, has had the privilege of seeing numerous legendary players wear its iconic white kit. Over the past two decades, the club has enjoyed a golden era, winning multiple La Liga and UEFA Champions League titles. With so many great players contributing to the club's success, it leads to an interesting question: Who are the best eleven players to have represented Real Madrid since the 2000/2001 season? Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois If no one has ever dared to say it, then I'll be the first to do so: Thibaut Courtois is not only better but he's also surpassed Iker Casillas as Real Madrid’s greatest-ever keeper. Along with being a more complete keeper than Casillas (excelling in aerial play, ball distribution, and reflexes),...

Football fans had already bid farewell to two of the best midfielders of the 2010s and early 2020s, Thiago Alcantara and Toni Kroos, as the former Bayern Munich and LaLiga icons decided to retire. Thiago's exit came after injuries robbed him of a true farewell in the Premier League with Liverpool, where he showed flashes of the player who so expertly guided Die Roten to the 2019/20 treble. Meanwhile, Kroos left world football on top, having shined as Germany's best player at Euro 2024 after conquering LaLiga and the Champions League one last time for Real Madrid as a six-time career UCL champion between the Royal Whites of Spain and the Reds of Germany. Now, world football will say goodbye to a legend on equal footing of Thiago and Kroos, with a pedigree of longevity that will ena...

Real Madrid are the biggest club in the world by Champions League titles, incoming revenue, and social media followers. In order to reach that level, you pretty much have to nail most of your big transfers. That has definitely been the case for Real Madrid over the last several windows, as they have brought in no-doubt world-class players like Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Antonio Rudiger, David Alaba, Arda Guler, Jude Bellingham, and now Kylian Mbappe for free. However, before that, Real Madrid had more mixed success in the market, and that came back to bite them with a few poor seasons in the Champions League that were very un-Madrid like, such as early exits in the 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons. Real Madrid had a few ghastly transfer errors as a result of desperate move...

Throughout the 2010s, Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Lionel Messi was the most heated debate on the lips of world football fans, but as time has passed and the discussions have become more retrospective, much of the discussion has moved towards the midfield. It isn't just Real Madrid and Barcelona fans getting into it about their elite midfields that dominated the 2010s, as Premier League supporters, Serie A fans, and, of course, the Bayern Munich faithful are wondering where their midfield stars stack up. When looking back at the best center midfielders of the 2010s, it is no surprise to see that the teams that dominated the Champions League that decade - Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich - also dominate this list. It's fair to say that this observation is yet another endorsement ...

It isn't easy for a young player under the age of 23 to make a major impact in the center midfield positions, because it's a position that requires a combination of technical quality, tactical intelligence, defensive grit, energy, work rate, veteran know-how, and all-around footballing quality. Here are 10 young players under the age of 23 who have been standouts for their clubs in midfield. To be considered one of the best young center midfielders in the world, a player must be a 6 or an 8 and cannot only play as a 10. Players who are No. 10 playmakers but have a past history of success as a 6 or 8 are able to qualify for this list, because they have shown a history of success in this role. 11. Johnny Cardoso, Real Betis Johnny Cardoso is the least-known name on this list outside ...

The center back position is becoming more of a premium position in world football these days with elite European clubs trying to lock down the world's best attacking players. Here are the 10 best center backs in the world right now in 2024. 10. Giorgio Scalvini, Atalanta Atalanta star Giorgio Scalvini gets overlooked because of all the top-class defensive talent in Serie A, and Atalanta tend to get a whole lot less press than, say, Juventus or Inter Milan. Furthermore, it doesn't help that Bologna star Riccardo Calafiori is the young Italian center back soaking up all the media attention and social media fanposts. That's for good reason, but before Euro 2024, Scalvini was seen as THE young center back to watch in Italian football after putting together a second excellent season ...