REAL MADRID 3 WOLFSBURG 0 | CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RESULT

Real Madrid has managed to turnaround a two goal deficit from the 1º leg into a 3 - 0 win tonight against Wolfsburg. Magical Champions League 2º leg return game that made vibrate fans & spectators alike. Its the 6th year straight that Real Madrid manages to get themselves into the semi-final stage of Champions League (3-2 ON AGGREGATE)

But if there is one name to highlight, that is Cristiano Ronaldo who scored all three goals - 16th, 17th & 77th min - & with full repertoire: feet, header & free-kick. The HAT-TRICK man lead his team onward in possibly his best exhibition in a long time. With him the work of Karim Benzema was outstanding with the Frenchman unlucky not to have scored himself. Midfielder Modric was all class, along with team-mate Casemiro who was omnipresent & Carvajal who was pivotal in the early goals.

The Germans had their chances, with some very clear opportunities that they will be remembering after the match. They lost star player Draxler in the 31st min & this was an obvious blow for them as Draxler was their danger man. Special mention for Wolfsburg goalkeeper Benaglio who was excellent making some vital saves & keeping his team alive. Said this the desired away goal, although looked for & very close, did not arrive for the Germans.

Tomorrow another magical night of Champions League when two Spanish Football Clubs, Atletico de Madrid & FC Barcelona fight out their own elimination clash. The latter takes over to Madrid 2 goals while Atletico has a valueable away goal that could give them the key. Match not to be missed.
Tweet

Share

WOLFSBURG 2 REAL MADRID 0 | CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 1º LEG RESULT

German Club Wolfsburg gave the surprise result defeating Real Madrid 2 - 0 in the 1ºst leg of their Quarter-Final Champions League match. Real Madrid was brought back down to Earth after defeating FC Barcelona in Liga last Saturday. Nothing like that victorious side tonight against Wolfsburg which had their ideas very clear & were super effective with their chances.

Germany has never been historically a good territory for Real Madrid, but tonight the team may have also suffered from over-confidence. The Real Madrid defence was poor & right-back Danilo had another terror night as his flank was an open door. Much of the blame was German midfielder Drexler who put in an excellent match being a constant danger & creating scoring chances for his team.

Very few Real Madrid players stood out, except Garath Bale who was outstanding trying hard & being dangerous. The Spaniards will claim the German penalty was not,  a Cristiano Ronaldo goal looked legal & that a possible penalty was executed on Bale which was not called. The fact is they were cleverly outplayed by Wolfsburg which now sits comfortably with a 2 goal advantage, while Real Madrid faces the real possibility of being eliminated. 

Real Madrid must score 3 goals in the return match & without the Germans scoring any goals. A feat at this moment against the odds as the Spanish looked mediocre tonight. Added to this,  Karim Benzema went off injured.

Goals tonight:

• Rodriguez 17th min (penalty) 1 - 0
• Arnold 24th min 2 - 0

Tweet

Share

ATLETICO DE MADRID | DIEGO RIBAS TO RETURN

Yesterday the news was that Atletico de Madrid was talking to Valencia CF about having Argentine International midfielder Ever Benega on-loan. Today the news from Spanish Sports paper "AS" is that the long desired return of the "prodigal son" Diego Ribas is a reality.

According to the news the Brazilian & Germam Club Wolfsburg midfielder will come to Atletico de Madrid on-loan until the end of the season. After this the Spanish Football Club can negotiate with the player ( who ends contract with Wolfsburg ) to officially contract the player. Current French midfielder Atletico,  Guilavogui leaves & returns to St Etienne to make space for Diego Ribas in the squad.

The "Winter Market" shuts today & the return of Diego to Atletico de Madrid is not official as yet as it is the Spanish media which is advancing the story. What is a reality is that Diego is not travelling with Wolfsburg to play Schalke which suggests that the paperwork is being finalized at this moment.

Great news for Atletico de Madrid which will add class in the midfield & the creative play-maker to help Turan Arda that Coach Simeone has been calling for since Diego left. 

Tweet

Share

ATLETICO DE MADRID WORKING TO BRING BACK DIEGO RIBAS

Spanish Football Club Atletico de Madrid has never really forgotten about Brazilian & Wolfsburg midfielder Diego Ribas. Atletico de Madrid Coach Simeone has made sure that the "top brass" at the Club never forget as he still considers the player that "final" piece left of his Masterplan. The player left a lasting impression while on loan in 2012 ( winning a Europa League title ) & recovering the player from the German Club has been almost impossible since. Wolfsburg wants big money & this put a break to all the Atletico ambitions.

However, things are about to shift in favour of the Spanish Football Club. The player ends contract with Wolfsburg on June 2014, therefore if the player does not renew contract he will be a "free agent" as of the 1st of January. This leads to two options

• the German Club attempts to get some money & sells Diego in the "Winter Market"
• the player holds on till June 2014 & leaves free of transfer fee.

It is rumoured that Atletico de Madrid President Gil is in Germany to talk with Wolfsburg & the player & perhaps come back home with a pre-agreement or a "Winter Market" promise.

The other obstacle is the players salary too high for Atletico de Madrid, but yet again he would come "free of charge" , this is the players argument. Stay tuned for developments. 

Tweet

Share

ATLETICO DE MADRID WORKING TO RECOVER WOLFSBURG DIEGO RIBAS

It was mentioned here last week, Spanish Football Club Atletico de Madrid was working to recover Brazilian midfielder & German Club Wolfsburg player Diego Ribas. The Brazilian left an impressive memory last season at the Club while on-loan from Wolfsburg with his class & play making that helped take the Club onto the Europa League title.

Current Coach Diego Simeone has asked specifically that Atletico do what needs to be done to get Diego back at the Club for next season. Both the economic pretensions of Wolfsburg & the player himself currently complicate the operation. The Brazilian earns 5M€ per season & that is beyond the reach of Atletico & the German Club asks for a transfer fee which the Club can´t assume.

However the player ends contract with Wolfsburg the 30th of June 2014 & this will force the Germans to negotiate for next season & lower their economic  pretensions if they are to gain any money. The player will be a free agent as of the 1st of January of 2014 & this will leave Wolfsburg out of the "game". 

Atletico has offered Diego Ribas a 2 season contract with a 3rd year as an option. This third will depend on set objectives: playing time, Champions League qualification etc. This way the Club can justify salaries & the player would need to render at a high level of performance.

The player wishes to return to Madrid & Atletico, & if the Club can secure its Champions League berth for next season things will be easier for all sides. The only "unknown" in the equation is the German Club Wolfsburg which from experience has been difficult & complex with everything related with their player. 

Stay tuned! 

Tweet

Share

ATLETICO DE MADRID THINKING AGAIN ABOUT DIEGO RIBAS

According to Spanish Sports daily "Marca" Atletico de Madrid is rethinking about recovering Brazilian midfielder & German Club Wolfsburg player Diego Ribas for next season. It is also written that Coach Simeone has specifically asked for the return of the Brazilian & this has made it a priority in the offices of the Club. Apparently talks are underway.

The former Atletico number 22, who was on loan at the Spanish Club last season, is a recurring request from " Cholo" (nickname of Simeone) who also requested he stay for this season . However, economic factors like the price the German Club put up complicated a possible transfer operation which forced the player to return to Germany thus putting an end to a successful season on-loan at Atletico de Madrid. However it must be said that the player himself was not flexible either in his economic demands requesting a salary above the majority of current Atletico players & out of reach for the Club.

But,  as many things in Football,  things have changed since last summer and the return of Diego Ribas to Atletico has again become a real possibility.  The circumstances this time play in favour of  Atletico, the player ends his current contract the 30th of June 2014, which forces the German Club to seriously consider a transfer this upcoming summer or else the player goes free the 1st of January  2014.

The player strongly desires to return to Atletico de Madrid where he played 43 matches & won a Europa League scoring a goal in the Final. The Brazilian left a strong mark on the local fans with his class & play making abilities & felt the warmth of the people & of the city of Madrid.  Plus it looks very much the case that Atletico de Madrid will earn itself a Champions League position for next season which should make it all more attractive for the Brazilian midfielder.

One supposes that talks will advance & that the negotiations will be difficult. Wolfsburg will want to maximize their gains & Atletico will want the player to lower his salary pretensions, another difficult endeavour as the past show that with Diego Ribas it is complicated. We will eventually see how much Diego really misses Atletico de Madrid.

Stay tuned!

Tweet

Share

ATLETICO DE MADRID GETS BRAZILIAN MIDFIELDER DIEGO ON LOAN | AWAITING OFFICIAL OK FROM WOLFSBURG

If we are to believe local news, ATLETICO DE MADRID has finally managed to secure the loan & services of Brazilian midfielder DIEGO RIBAS from German Club WOLFSBURG. Nothing is as yet official, but recent negotiations & the players desire to play in Spanish Football give weight to the optimism being expressed by Atletico & the Spanish Sports press this afternoon.

Brazilian midfielder Diego

The incorporation would fill the urgent need of a "creative" midfielder so desperately desired to balance the "new" look Atletico de Madrid squad for this new season. The arrival of Diego would shut the squad & make the player the 11th new incorporation this year. The list of new players, along with Diego,  are:

Gabi, Arda, Falcao, Silvio, Rubén Micael (loaned to Zaragoza), Adrián, Miranda, Tiago, Courtois & Pizzi.


LATEST: Both Clubs have made it official the transfer (loan) of Diego to Atletico de Madrid.


Tweet

Share

ATLETICO DE MADRID | DIEGO FORLAN LOOKS INTER MILAN BOUND WHILE THE DIEGO OPTION COMES TO LIFE AGAIN

ATLETICO DE MADRID has excluded this morning from the squad that will be travelling to Portugal for their 2º leg Europa League preliminary game against Vitoria Guimaraes forward DIEGO FORLAN at personal request. The Uruguayan International is negotiating with INTER MILAN at this moment his transfer, which suggests that it could be made official in the next hours.

Diego Forlan

Staying with ATLETICO DE MADRID & with transfers, the father of Brazilian & WOLFSBURG midfielder DIEGO RIBA was seen & caught by journalists outside the "Vicent Calderon Staduim" offices last night. There Mr. Ribas was asked about his son & he answered that Atletico de Madrid & Diego had an agreement & it was now up to the Clubs to negotiate.

The only hurdle is that Atletico desires the player on loan with a buying option at the end of the season, while Turkish Club Galatasaray has made a formal buying offer to Wolfsburg which is much more attractive. The advantage that the Spanish Club has over the Turks is that the player has said NO to Galatasary & wishes to play at Atletico.

Stay tuned!

Tweet

Share

DIEGO ( WOLFSBURG ) GETTING CLOSE TO ATLETICO DE MADRID

SPANISH FOOTBALL Club ATLETICO DE MADRID is rumoured from Germany to be the soon "new home" of WOLFSBURG Brazilian midfielder DIEGO RIBAS DA CUNHA (Diego). The 26 year old has already a relative long list of Clubs were he has given services as Santos, Porto, Werder Bremen, Juventus & now, Wolfsburg.

Diego

The Brazilian has been on the list of Atletico for some years, & now has the best opportunity to sign the player after his current Club does not count with the midfielder in its future plans & wishes to earn themselves his high salary. The Spanish Football Club needs a creative midfield player to organize the midfield & "feed" the forwards & Diego could be that player. The Brazilian has fallen in form & play this last season (injury) & is not the "eye catching" player of the past, but Atletico & Spanish Football could be the platform to re-launch his career.


Both Clubs are negotiating & the player has supposedly accepted a salary reduction to arrive at Atletico. Lets wait & see what happens in the next days.

By the way, other names sounding for Atletico are Rossi (Villareal), Falcao (Oporto) & Osvaldo (RCD Espanyol). Obviously theses players cost money & would come with the sale of Sergio Aguero. Stay tuned!

Tweet

Share

REAL MADRID NEWS | EVERTON ASKS FOR SERGIO CANALES AS A LOAN

News from English ( paper Daily Mirror) being picked up locally by Spanish Football Sports papers is that English Premier League Club EVERTON has asked REAL MADRID if they would consider a loan of their young 20 year old International midfielder SERGIO CANALES.

Sergio Canales for Real Madrid

The kid was bought from Liga Club Racing de Santander last season by Real Madrid as the "next big" thing. The youngster found himself in the World Biggest Football Club with only 19 years of age, all the pressure in the World in expectations & midfielder Ozil, along with Granero, Kaká, Xabi Alonso ...etc. With such tough comeptition Canales hasn´t had a chance to play regularly & show his true potential. An extremely frustrating phase that needs a solution as the risk of halting the Football carreer of Canales is serious.

One solution is the loan option, were Canales could go to a Club were he would feel important, have "less pressure", be able to play regularly & keep on evolving his natural given talent.  A case that comes to mind is Real Madrid defender Arbeloa who left Real Madrid for Liverpool & then returned to triumph,  & then got a regular place on the Spanish Football National Team.

While English Club Everton is asking for the loan, German Club Wolfsburg has also inquired about the player. But the Football Club which is sounding strong,  & will also play in Europe next season,  is Spanish League Club VILLAREAL. The kid may wish to stay at "home" & Real Madrid may wish to keep a loving & tender eye on their youngster.

Stay tuned!
Tweet

Share