Related

Article

Ribery set to leave Bayern for Real

2 July 2009 15:35

Ribery could join Kaka, Ronaldo and countryman Karim Benzema if Bayern do accept an offer from Real Madrid.

Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich's star player Franck Ribery has become the latest player in Europe, keen on a transfer to Real Madrid.

The France international confirmed that he wants to leave Bayern for Madrid, breaking silence for the first time after speculation surrounding his future began after the end of the Bundesliga season.

The former Marseilles player has admitted that he would jump at the chance of lining-up alongside players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaká and Karim Benzema at the Bernabeu.

Ribéry told L’Equipe: “I have decided that I want to leave. It will be Real Madrid or nothing. I will wait to see how things pan out but I would like to hold talks with the Bayern management soon.”

While Real have been keen on the 26 year-old player, Bayern have been offering stiff resistance and have been adamant on the player not leaving for Spain at any cost.

Ili Hoeness, the Bayern general manager, does not believe that Ribéry's desire to leave alters their position. “Does Franck want to go to Real?” he asked.

“For us, that changes absolutely anything. Life is not always a fairytale."

“Real have not made us a specific proposal and we do not need their money.”

Madrid took their summer spending to more than £184 million last night when they signed Benzema, the France forward, for an initial fee of £29.7 million.

Comments (25)

Chelsea4ever

2 July 2009 16:06

WTF ?????? EVERYONE TO REAL ????IS THIS FAIR ???WHERE ARE THE RULES ????FUCKING DISGRACE TO SOCCER WORLD !!!

alboi

2 July 2009 16:23

Right now Real is buying the world. Who can blame them? They are rich and they have money. They want to win everything next season.

It's just a team of stars put together hoping that individual talent will win them trophies. Hope it works out for them.

But beside this, can anyone tell me where Pellegrini will insert Kaka, Ronaldo, and Ribery all in the same team? How is this going to work? What formation can he use to utilize every player? Won't it just be confusing? All 3 of these guys aren't normal midfielders. They are very attack-minded and offer striker support, but none of them can truly defend in the midfield. You can't put Ribery on Center Left Midfield and Cristiano Ronaldo on Center Right Midfield. That just won't work. They play as wingers.

Real will probably use a 4-3-3. Benzema as Center Forward, Kaka/Ribery as left winger, Cristiano as right winger. You can't put Ribery as left winger and put Kaka in the hole behind Benzema because that will leave the midfield with two players. I just can't see how they hope to work this out.

perpcole

2 July 2009 16:25

Pellegrini is smart enough. He'll figure it out. He must be thinking now how to utilize Xavi Alonso. He's the next on Florentino's list.

Chelsea4ever

2 July 2009 16:45

ALBOI BOY WHAT ???MADRID MORE RICH THAN ENGLISH CLUBS ?????

onelovesoccer

2 July 2009 16:52

GK: Casillas

LB: Marcelo

CB: Albiol

CB: Ramos

RB: Maicon (we'll sign him)

CDM: Xabi A. (him too)

LM: Ribery

RM: CR

CAM: Kaka

ST: Raul

ST: Higauin

For me, Benzema has to prove he deserves to start...which he should have no problem doing. Higauin is already use to La Liga, so starting him at the start of the season seems smart.

Giorgio

2 July 2009 16:55

Time will tell if Pellegrini is smart enough, or otherwise. Real management won't give him too much time, that's for sure.

Chelsea4ever

2 July 2009 16:58

WTF NOT EVEN ONE BLACK PLAYER IN YOUR TEAM ????

gummy94

2 July 2009 18:10

chelsea4ever....

marcelo?

Ilovethisgame

2 July 2009 19:11

This guy is not a very good player, he can only play well here in germany where the teams are more or less like amature, if he goes to Spain, Italy or England, maybe if he find it hard making the 2nd 11. Real thinks buying players makes a good team....

alboi

2 July 2009 19:16

onesoccerlove,

Agreed. That is the ONLY way it could work. Otherwise, one of them would have to be taken out. They will sure need a strong CDM though to connect defense to attack.

As for Ramos as CB, he's crap. He's much better as a RB and Pellegrini can pair Albiol with Pepe. Hope Ribery and Ronaldo can come back to defend though, cuz Marcelo and Ramos cannot cover that much space in front of them. I just think all these stars in one team will crowd each other out because they will each need their own space to advance. All of them will want to attack.

Madrid9

2 July 2009 19:23

Madrid has several black people

Marcelo

drenthe

m. Diarra

l. Diarra

and yes Madrid is the richest club in the world with Manchester trailing in second

Areign

2 July 2009 20:11

eat debt real, i expect at least 2 of the 5 or 6 players they are bringing in, to flop. between benzema, ribery, CR, kaka, xabi, and whoever else; someone wont fit in. i guess 4-3-3 with top 3 ribs benz CR with kaka as AM behind then and 2 defensive mids behind them, those two spots would fit between gago lass and xabi, but then wheres there best player from last year gona fit? wheres higuin gona go? guti? raul? i dont think its gona work, but it will be fun to watch.

also: perpcole, its xabi not xavi, there is only one true xavi.

NakedWake

2 July 2009 21:13

Alboi says "Right now Real is buying the world. Who can blame them? They are rich and they have money. They want to win everything next season"

Why? so they can win everything next season, as Barca just did, without having to spend all that money?

This idea of buying championships is just ridiculous. It seldom even works

tompmiller

2 July 2009 21:13

Of course it is not fair, but without a Europe-wide salary cap, it will not be fair. Of course, as a commentator on goal.com said, why is anyone complaining? A fan would love to see these players on his team. If Real are not your team, you are upset, but it will still be fun to watch them play.

Tontodonati

2 July 2009 22:09

Areign. I tend to agree with you on the 4 -3- 3, and also on the idea that some of the players will not fit the system. Consider this.

The 4 defense men will be anchored by Ramos who, by the way, reminds me of Fabio Grosso.

In midfield you will have Kaka, Xavi and Raul.

The three forwards will be Ronaldo, Benzema and Ribery.

If that works out, Real Madrid will be dynamite.

MADRIDISTA

2 July 2009 23:06

HALA MADRID !!!

hollyice

2 July 2009 23:14

Last year we had half of the team injured , at least 6 players saw many games from the stands . What Perez is doing is good , sometimes you need good substitutes also . Having all the players lined from the begining is not necessary , but I hope he will keep Huntelaar , Higuain and Robben who are very important for Madrid . I heard some rumours that the Dutch players are disappointed about Perez plans , among them Drenthe , Van Der Vaart , Sneijder , Van Nistelrooy , Robben and Huntelaar , 6 players who complained for more clarifications about their future at the club , but I hope they are untrue these rumours , if they all go Madrid will miss them an regret it surely .

The other problem is with our coach tactics , he did a lot of good things with his 4-5-1 and 4-4-2 last year with Villarreal but in Madrid it will take time to find the right tactics , which can cost us a lot . Having Pepe and Albiol behind is a great thing to avoid those over 50 goals scored against us last year and which made us one of the worst defenses not far from Huelva who went to second division .

Now for those complaining about these signings , I think everyone knows that except Ronaldo , Madrid had to compete with other clubs to sign players like Benzema, Kaka and Ribéry who didnt join yet . These players were offered more money somewhere else respectively from Manchester Utd ,City and Chelsea . But their clubs prefered to let them go where they wished to go and not force them to go where they get better money . So , I think when a player expressed clearly he wants to join your club and you know he is good why not sign him ? Why complaining about these signings ?

Tontodonati

3 July 2009 00:31

Hollyice, if this means anything to you. I always loved Real Madrid. In 1963, just prior to going to Canada, I held an “Interleague” friendly tournament in my own town in Italy. We made up 4 teams: Real Madrid, with me as the captain (Di Stefano), AC Milan, Liverpool and Benfica. We won the tournament and I scored 4 of the 9 goals in the 4 games, including the final game. I was, and still am, a great admirer of Di Stefano whom I think was the greatest football player of all time. I will never forget the time when they beat Eintracht Frankfurt 7 - 3. The power went off for 5 minutes during that game. Thus, I missed a number of phenomenal connections between Santa Maria, Di Stefano, Puskas and Gento. Do you remember them?

If Real Madrid’s new players can jell, they will be a force to be reckoned with. Remember that I said it first on this site.

veljo12

3 July 2009 01:13

With all this players Real is good for an completely new (never heard of) formation of 2-4-4 or even worse 2-3-5. Right now it looks like they will have a difficulties to do beter than Barca in Spain, not to mention CL at all....

jamine

3 July 2009 05:20

Vogmall com wholesale shoes: Nike, Air Jordan, Adidas, Reebok, Puma, K-Swiss, and other popular brands.

$36 Jordans wholesale

$40 Nike shoes retail

$38 sell Puma shoes

$50 Timberland New Style

Free shipping on orders more than $100

phughes699

3 July 2009 07:22

Real Madrid are so desperate to be the top team in Spain, they are doing what Chelsea did a few years back, and are trying to buy success. I don't think it will work and Real Madrid are going to find themselves deeply in debt. On paper it looks really exciting but in the real world this rarely ever works. When the Real gravy train is over, the other big teams in Europe will most probably be in an equally if not better position.

This really is a disgrace for the modern football world, where every top player just automatically goes to Real Madrid. It doesn't seem to be fair any more, so I for one, hope it doesn't work out.

phughes699

3 July 2009 07:32

Tonto,

Real Madrid used to be my favourite team outside of the UK. That final with Eintracht Frankfurt was one of the most amazing ever. My favourite players have always included Di Stefano, Puskas and Gento. To this day, there have not been many players with the speed of Gento.

Real have a fine history to be proud of, but the modern Real, I'm not so sure. Maybe we will look back in a decades time and say, Real were the team that tried to buy success.

hollyice

3 July 2009 09:58

Actually I've never said that having the best players will automatically work . First it depends of the coach and his tactics , many people get shocked about some compositions which means that the best coaches are also subject for fatal mistakes . I am sure Pellegrini will do better than Schuster who failed in the defense with 26 goals scored against us in 14 games !! We were the worst defense that time .Ramos came and again 26 goals were scored against us but in 24 games , some amelioration in the defense anyway .

Pellegrini said before yesterday in Madrid I want defensive wingers to close in on a ball 20 times at full speed, and that can only happen by holding practice matches in small areas -always playing. Running 800 meters isn't real , so I guess he learnt from the mistakes of Madrid during the Galacticos era when they failed using defensive midfielders . There will be little space for mistakes this time , but it can cost his place .

For those who think paying high transfer fees is buying championships , I wish they can explain better their point , personally I think when a good player says he wants to come and not interested to stay in his actual club , you cant tell him "no thanks" stay there or go somewhere else especially if you need him . It's somehow the same case if you got a member of your family or a beloved person somewhere blocked in this world and cant come home without your help ,without your money to save him , I dont think you will hesitate a second to go and get him whatever it costs . Madrid do not decide the transfer fee so I wonder why blame Madrid for that .

darx72

3 July 2009 14:01

As a Liverpool fan and cheering for Real Madrid CF I think Perez brought imperialism years back to Spain !

phughes699

3 July 2009 15:50

Hollyice.

Real Madrid were up to their eyes in debt before they signed all these new players. They are commiting financial suicide, and you are such a dumbo you cannot see it.

You and your mate The Jock did nothing but slag the teams off, who were in debt in England last season. So how do you quantify the idea that Real Madrid are doing the right thing now?

Sponsored links