In an interview with BT Sport, Rafa Benitez opened up about the complications of working under the high-pressure conditions at Real Madrid. Benitez was sacked after just seven months in charge of Los Blancos, despite losing just three times while at the helm.
"You have to do everything perfect," Benitez told Gary Lineker. "As soon as something is wrong, or the chairman thinks something is wrong, then you start having problems."
The Champions League Round of 16 continued today with a number of goals between the two matches. AS Roma hosted Real Madrid at Stadio Olimpico, while VFL Wolfsburg traveled to KAA Gent.
Cristiano Ronaldo and co. defeated AS Roma 2-0 with CR7 opening the scoring in the 57th minute with a beautiful curling effort into the top left of the box. Subsititute Jesé came on for James Rodgriuez in the 82nd minute and, four minutes later, scored another crucial away goal for Los Blancos.
Cristiano Ronaldo has not scored a goal away from Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in over two months. His last goal in a road game was on November 29, 2015, when he scored the final goal in a Real Madrid 2-0 against Eibar in Ipurua.
Coincidentally, that was also Los Blancos' last win as a visitor until two weeks ago, when, thanks to a Luka Modric goal, Real Madrid got a 2-1 win at Granada.
Cristiano Ronaldo is pretty good at soccer. Let's not forget that. That being said, Cristiano Ronaldo's form this season has led people to whisper about a "decline" at Real Madrid, which we think is pretty ridiculous. So, we decided to take a closer look.
Today, when we think of Ronaldo scoring we think of Ronaldo’s trademark celebration, in which he jumps, spins, and goes super saiyan. He does it nearly every time he scores, and he has made it his trademark. People across the world mimic it, even professional athletes in other sports like Odell Beckham Jr. But, this was not the first original celebration that Ronaldo invented.
The No. 9 in soccer, traditionally the number reserved for the team's starting striker, has been the subject of various discussion points over the last few years. From arguments revolving around the importance of the position in modern tactics to the belief that the No. 9 is being phased out of the game, doubts have been cast upon the future of the role.
The second black player to represent England at any level and the first British player to transfer to Real Madrid, Laurie Cunningham was a footballing pioneer and a legend of his own time. His premature death at 33 years of age cut short the career of a player who “was as good as Cristiano Ronaldo” according to Spanish manager, and former Real teammate, Vincente del Bosque.
Real Madrid and the New York Yankees: the two franchises — which are separated by more than 3500 miles and play two entirely different sports — are shockingly similar when you compare them. When it comes to both teams' histories, finances, star players, and championships it’s hard not to see the similarities in their influence worldwide.
Brazil and Real Madrid legend Roberto Carlos may be coming back to Madrid to help coach at the Academy level. Boasting four Spanish titles, three Champions League trophies and a World Cup, there are few players who know more about Real Madrid and winning than the Brazilian. So if he is appointed, it will surely be a great learning experience for the baby Galacticos. With that in mind, we decided to take a look back down memory lane.
Neymar has been making all sorts of headlines recently, which in and of itself is not unusual. He's one of the most famous soccer players in the world. It would be weird if Neymar wasn't making headlines.
The headlines that Neymar is generating at this particular moment, though, are quite interesting, as it seems half of them are reporting that he had talks with Real Madrid regarding a possible move. The other half are, obviously, reporting that hell will freeze over before the young Brazilian engages in such talks with Los Blancos.