My Ten Day experience with Real Madrid...

Peggy van Huizen was deputized as an official representative of Forza Futbol for the Real Madrid LA Pre-Season Tour. Here's her amazing daily log. Enjoy!


I’m a Real Madrid fan… For me the following experience was something I would never ever dreamed of having. I’m happy to be able to share this. It was definitely something I will never forget. :D


The Beginning.

It happened in a matter of hours..Elisa from Forza Futbol offering to help get me a media credential with her for the upcoming Real Madrid tour back Los Angeles. Last year I had seen them, only twice though as I am not an autograph kinda person..I want to actually see them play etc. so I went once at a pay-for charity practice, the second time on a Sunday while the LA Open tennis final was on and of course went to the game at the Rose Bowl when they played the LA Galaxy. While that was exciting and all, I had no idea of what I was in for. Elisa sent off the paperwork and within hours it came back.. WE WERE APPROVED!!! Wow!..To say I was floored, excited, thrilled and just plain happy, probably wouldn’t sum it all up how I felt. Media credentials would not only get us in to see practices, we would get to go to press conferences each day, be on the pitch & in press room during the match if we chose to and in the mixed-zone after the matches. Basically we would get to see them up close and live each day..I thought I was in a dream.

They would be arriving on Monday, July 11th, 2011. That Sunday night we got word of the first press conference. It would be Tuesday, June 12th, at 12N at CAA with..gulp.. Cristiano Ronaldo, Iker Casillas, Jose Mourinho, Bruce Arena, Landon Donovan and David Beckham. Wow..They were starting off with a bang weren’t they!! I actually got nervous for a second..Why I don’t know. But again..WOW..This was going to be amazing. And yes, it was. I’ve been in presser’s before with work etc.. But never had I been in one where I was actually truly a fan of it all.

Tons of media from all over the world were there. Of course some Herbal Life people and CAA sports agent, Michael Levine has to talk first and get the rules out. Yes, there are rules to having a media credential. We could only ask questions pertaining to the RM/Galaxy game, the upcoming tour and such. (No, China, we can’t ask Cris if he changes his baby’s nappies because guess what..It doesn’t pertain to anything football/soccer relevant in the slightest ugh!). And Iker would only take and respond to questions in Spanish. Though I did find out he secretly can speak English better than any of us thinks he can, he just doesn’t want to. Ya know, that whole Spanish pride thing they have, but trust me, I was okay with it. :D

Then they all walked in..not gonna lie, I think I stopped breathing for a second or two.
Craziest thing happened next, after all the rules, schmooze talk etc., they announced that the floor was open to questions..and guess what?? No one had any! Maybe they were just all rendered a bit speechless like me, but have to say it was pretty humourous when you are in a room with that kind of star power and no one speaks for about 2 minutes..it really seems like 10.really.long.minutes. Whispers start..I just think no one really wanted to be the first person. But then the ice was broken with a question for…(drum roll) Landon Donovan!! And he broke the ice well with his opening answer of ..’With all the people up here I really didn’t expect to get the first question’..And with a room full of laughter, the conf. proceeded well. A few other highlight moments.. Cris teasing Iker for saying “soccer”, being his usual fidgety self. Iker just sitting there cute as anything while everyone spoke English. Beckham..Well just being the BAMF that is Beckham..No explanation needed on that one.


Day 2 (Wed, July 13th, 2011)

Wouldn’t you know it..Family obligations kept me out for this day…and what day is it..Oh just the day Sergio Ramos is in the presser! UGH! The sacrifices we make for family.


Day 3 (Thursday, July 14th, 2011)

I’m baaaack..::D Missed the morning practice but was there in time for the presser. Carvahlo and Coentrao are in todays. They will take questions in 3 languages, English, Spanish, and Portuguese as they have translators available for both and Fabio does not speak English or Spanish it seems.

By this time I have not only met the lovely Kay Murray from RMTV, but we are having some great times chatting at the practices etc.. She hints that later in the week she might possibly interview us! Very cool. The presser is mostly spent talking about the beginning stages of the practice sessions, how Fabio is adapting to the team, Cristiano helping him to adapt a lot.


Day 4 (Friday, July 15th, 2011)

So FINALLY I make the morning practice. Let me tell you..There is really nothing quite like the sight of these guys arriving to the field. UCLA is a great spot for all this. There is a long winding path leading to the field that the players get driven past with usually a pretty good amount of fans lined up along the drive to try to get autographs etc. But watching them walk on the field was a truly amazing moment for me. Never thought I would actually just be right there for this. They make this an open practice at the last minute I guess, on a 1st come 1st serve basis for the fans lined up outside, so we also get to watch the whole thing. Then move on to the Presser which today was the wonderful adorable Xabi & Granero, both whom can speak English quite well and answer a lot of questions to both Spanish & English press mostly about the game the next day.

We go back for the afternoon practice, which we only get to see 15 min of ☹ Still, to me, anytime I can see them, I will go and be there whether it’s for 15 min. or more. I also got to meet Stewart Wolfenson & Rafael Gomez, both of the Los Angeles Pena they have started and Elisa & I are part of, which was really great! Then Leora Conway, from the NYC Pena came into town and to celebrate an early birthday for her, we (Leora, Elisa & I) decide to go to the Polo Lounge for dinner that night. Not only was the food amazing, but getting to see Sergio, Arbeloa, Kaka, Granero, Albiol and Mourinho wandering around the hotel was pretty awesome also!


Day 5 (Saturday, July 16th, 2011

GAME DAY!!!! So excited for this match. It’s the first time I will ever be at a match with a press credential. It’s also Carmegeddon..Let me just tell you, I wish we had Carmegeddon every weekend!! As long as I have lived here I have never seen the frwy so wide open. It took us 12 min. to get to the Coliseum! Crazy! Went up to the press box to say hello to people, then went down on the pitch as we were allowed to go there. I was in such awe of it all I must say. I have never gotten to see the team walk out of the tunnel being RIGHT THERE..It took my breath away for a moment. Then to be on the pitch watching the game right behind the Galaxy goalie…WHAT!! How lucky could I possibly be..?I was actually dodging balls being kicked. It was possibly the most amazing thing for me ever! The action was literally happening right in front of my eyes. Then of course I get caught on TV tweeting..Oh yes, there I am in these really non-attractive vests that you have to wear, getting the camera full on me, tweeting. Hahaha I guess things could be worse because I loved every second of it. In the 73rd min. though they came and I had to clear off and go to my seat. That’s okay; I had a 6th row ticket so I was fine. REAL MADRID WINS
4-1!!

After the game, and much confusion as remember, this is our first time doing this I finally found the mixed zone area under the stadium where all the players come out of the locker room and do the press line. Mourinho holds a press conference in an area all on its own. I get to see all the RM players, plus Galaxy, whom I like a lot also and like quite a few of their players so this was great. They were VERY strict on the rules though. As a media person, if you do not have photographer credentials you are not allowed to take any picture, and also NO ONE with a press credential is allowed to ask for autographs etc. I saw quite a few people get their press privileges literally ripped off their necks. One girl went to ask Xabi to sign a shirt, and he actually had the pen in his hand starting to sign, and the PR girl ran over and ripped it out of his hand, grabbed the girl and her creds and threw her right out. Scary stuff, needless to say, I was not going to do anything to jeopardize this in anyway. After it was all over, I still couldn’t believe I had actually experienced a game this way. Wow..is all I can say.


Day 6 (Sunday, July 17th, 2011

After all the excitement of yesterday and such a great game, everyone has the morning off. Lounging around, went to Sunday brunch at BHH, and then went to see the afternoon practice which was only a quick 15 minutes they let us in, but still, better than nothing! The presser was going to be the Dynamic Duo!! Arbeloa & Albiol!!! Yay! So we just all hung out waiting for that to start. It was a really slow day there, not a huge fan turnout everyone was pretty laid back so Leora actually got to come into the presser with us..Yes, I think she was pretty happy! Ha! Good day to pick to be there right.. The Duo was just as charming as you would expect them to be. Arbeloa speaks English so answered quite a few questions about the game the day before as did Albiol, though only in Spanish. They were both very happy with the outcome as was the team.


Day 7 (Monday, July 18th, 2011)

I feel like I am getting into a routine now. Get up in the morning, head to UCLA for practice, wait to see who will be in the presser, do the presser, go to lunch, come back in the afternoon for 2nd practice. I have to say, I am liking this routine..ALOT! :D Practice was interesting today as I walked in all 4 goalies were jogging right by me. Grabbed a few pics of that, and then watched as Mourinho puts the team through their stretches & drills. Presser was Benzema & Varane. So basically an all French presser. While I can understand most of the players who speak Spanish, I am completely clueless on French. I know maybe 10 words. But ya know what, it’s still really nice to be there and they have translators so I am good. (Girls—this comment is strictly for you..In person Benzema is just flat out sexy as all..well..you know..Might not be that great in photos..but in person. Uh..wow ☺) Varane is still so shy and so quiet you can barely hear him speak. You can tell he is not used to this kind of thing at all. As well as he has been playing, I think he will need to adapt very quickly! :D

Also, there was supposed to be a big Adidas event open to the public at Hollywood & Highland which they ended up cancelling.


Day 8 (Tuesday, July 19th, 2011

So I get to practice in the morning. It’s the last practice before the game the following day in San Diego against Chivas. Unfortunately Sergio Ramos is injured and is not there along with Sahin who we know injured himself in one of the 1st practices in LA. We also find out that Sergio will not be playing for sure in the match the following day. ☹ From this point we watch for our 15 min. time period and then move onto the presser. It’s our new 2nd goalie today, Antonio Adan, and our comeback from Espanyol canteranos, Jose Callejon. Elisa called it the ‘hair day’ ☺ which was actually appropriate. Jose’s questions/answers were mostly about his goal that he scored, how he likes being back at Real Madrid and that he is adapting well. Adan is of course mostly asked if he thinks he will play at all during the season and he replies how much more he can still learn from Iker.

Also, just a note..I got quoted on the Real Madrid website today. Was pretty cool to see that and give a good shout out for Forza Futbol!
http://www.realmadrid.com/cs/Satellite/en/1330062866460/noticia/Noticia/Praise_for_Real_Madrid_in_the_US.htm


Day 9 (Wednesday, July 20th, 2011

It’s the 2nd game of the friendlies. Drive to San Diego which for those of you that don’t live here, is about 2 – 2 ½ hrs away. A lot of the drive is quite scenic as it’s along the coast..But with traffic an always consistent factor here, it took almost 4 hrs to get there. Now that I have had some experience with the LA, I know how it works. Go on the field, watch the game from the pitch, take as many pics as possible and just be awed by this team and that I get to do this! Also, I am going to try and NOT get caught on camera tweeting! Ha! So set up our spot with Leo, Elisa’s husband, who is a fantastic photographer as I’m sure you all know by now as his pictures were great! Kay is next to us, and not only does she really know her football, but she is a hoot as well to hang out with. (Kay this is for you..gum is now and forever a ‘chewy’ ☺ )

So I had a feeling this match was going to be completely different than the Galaxy and I was right. Chivas style of play is completely different from that of the Galaxy and much more challenging to Real Madrid. The 1st half proved that theory. To be honest, I don’t know that much about Chivas and their players, but they definitely played well and even scored a goal, though called offside. It wasn’t till the 72nd minute of the 2nd half that Cristiano scored and then it was all Real Madrid from there on. A hat-trick for Cris just capped off an amazing game. Got to watch the whole thing from the pitch this time, and yes even got hit with a ball and let me tell you.. it hurts! Ha! Real Madrid wins again 3-0.

In the mixed-zone afterwards, I went to the Mourinho conference while Elisa did the press line and spoke with Iker and Raul Albiol. Of course there is always someone who has to ask one really dumb question and this one was if Mou thought he could compare himself to Phil Jackson, basketball coach. *Sigh* with a slight laugh, and look of complete puzzlement on his face, Mou answered with, ‘Basketball is Basketball, Football is Football, you can’t really compare the two. Good job Mou!


Day 10 (Thursday, July 21st, 2011

So there was supposed to be an afternoon practice followed by a presser with Khedira & Ozil. As we know Khedira got injured so I guess they just decided to call the whole thing off. Closed the practice and no presser.

Last day before they leave for Philadelphia is Friday, July 22nd, 2011. Again, supposed to be an open morning practice and presser with Kaka & Marcelo. Sadly, both were cancelled and I never got to ask my question I had ready for Kaka.

So I almost went to Philly, but then realized it would be a 24hr turn-around and just decided not to go. They left LA Friday afternoon and arrived in Philly that evening where then the next day they played and won another game!

My last observations on the whole experience. I met so many wonderful people during this experience and had such a great, amazing time. I will never ever forget it and hope that I can repeat it again next year, though they say your first time doing something like this can never be replicated, I feel it could only get better!

I can never express how grateful I am to Elisa Uranga (Forza Futbol) and her husband Leo, for taking me along on this wonderful ride with them. Thank you Thank you Thank you..I am forever in your debt.

Peggy van Huizen for Forza Futbol

ADAN & CALLEJON~ Cantera Hour!

Yesterday night the boys got to live a little bit of the glamours life. They attended a gala party to promote Spanish and Madrid travel and the Ineedspain.com website. Chef Jose Andres tweeted a video and about the party with celebrity guests Paz Vega and others. Good promotions, publicity, and have some fun.






TRAINING 07.19.11


Madrid had a double training session today. Only the morning was opened to the media for 15 minutes. Sergio Ramos was still in the gym and not available for training due to back spasms. Most likely he will miss the Chivas game in San Diego. Pepe returned to training, looking fine and fit. Sami Khedira had to leave training due to a toe injury. He went to the hospital for tests.




PRESS CONFERENCE - CANTERA HOUR


The stars of the press conference today was 2nd Goalkeeper Antonio Adan and Winger extraordinaire, Jose Callejon, just re-signed from Espanyol. Callejon seemed to be more worried about his hair than the press conference. Adan got a bit miffed about the constant questions about his future and having to play behind San Iker Casillas.





Antonio Adan was asked about his feelings about all the Goal Keepers from the RM youth system and who he thought would be the future no 1. Adan replied, " Since 1985, this is the first time that four goalkeepers are all canteranos. I am glad to be working with Tomas and Iker. We are all working hard. I can’t really say who is going to be the future goalkeeper. All 3 of them and Iker are really good."


Jose Callejon was asked how he felt returning home back to RM, the first Spanish winger to come back. Also what does Mou expect of him? . Callejon said, "It is a dream to return home to RM, a real privilege to be home. It is a luxury to work with this team and staff. The mister has the same goals for me that he has for all the other players, to win titles. But it is a long season and we have to work hard. I feel really comfortable coming back to RM, after playing at Espanyol playing for several years."


Adan was then asked is it impossible to replace Casillas as the starting GK? "If it was impossible, I wouldn’t be here. I know that it is difficult and complicated, and that I will need to work very hard. But it is mot impossible. It can happen in the future. I am confident one day I will replace Casillas."


Callejon was asked what was his opinion on the youth system. He came back, similar to Granero, did he feel that canteranos had to leave RM and then come back to be noticed and break into the first team? "The cantera of RM, is the one of the best in the world. In my case, I had to leave RM and go to another team, but it’s fine because I received good experience. I grew footballer and as a person. I am coming back strong and willing to work hard."


Adan was asked if he had a time frame in mind, when he should be replacing Casillas as the no 1 goalie? Especially if Casillas continues to play at this level for 5 or 6 years. Adan stated, "I don’t have a time frame. My plan is to stay hear and play behind Iker. I am the 2nd goal keeper and I want to give my best. I am happy at RM and I am willing to work hard at my maximum effort to earn the no 1 spot. (Adan tired of answering these type of questions).


REMAINDER OF THE WEEK

Wednesday is the Chivas v RM game in San Diego at the Qualcomm stadium. Thursday training is late afternoon and rumored to be open to the public. No confirmation as of yet. 7pm Press Conference, rumored to be Ozil and Khedira. Friday morning training and noon press conference before they fly out to Philadelphia.


As usual you can find more fotos on the Forza Futbol facebook page.

Real Madrid 2011 pre-season opening day!

Today Real Madrid started their training at UCLA bright and early at 9:30am. Plenty of fans were lined up from LA and from all over the world!

This year, Jose Mourninho is being cautious and has not planned for any public training sessions yet. Today the media was limited to 15 minutes. The boys started off in two circles passing the ball and such. The two circles evolved into los rondos or piggy in the middle drills. Carvalho, Ozil and Khedira & the 6 canteranos were in one rondo, while los titulares Xabi Alonso, Cristiano, Sergio Ramos & company were in the 2nd rondo. Shorty thereafter the squad performed their stretching exercises and then ran sprints. The media was then asked to leave. Sigh.

The atmosphere outside the North Atlantic soccer field was terrific. French, German, Spanish fans, as well as plenty of locals were in attendance, eager to get a glimpse of the team, an autograph, or a smile. Hey! I even met Athletic Bilbao fans visiting from the Basque country.

Kudos to Sergio Ramos who signed plenty of autographs prior to the training session. I also got to meet the lovely Kay Murray from Real Madrid TV.

The main event was the World Football Challenge kickoff or press conference at CAA in Century City. Cristiano Ronaldo, Iker Casillas and Jose Mourinho represented Real Madrid, while Landon Donovan, David Beckham, and Bruce Arena represented the LA Galaxy. The tournament was explained by the MLS representative as a conference tournament (east and west?) based on a point system. (OK?) Zizou and Miguel Pedraza from RM, were acknowleged and introduced as well. But the main event ensued with both Mou and Bruce saying a few words on the tournament and importance of competitive games and/or friendlies which led to the question and answer session with the players and coaches.


Quotables

"Looking around I never thought that I would be asked the first question at this press conference." (Landon Donovan)

"I want to thank everyone for the kind words on the birth of my daughter, Harper." (Beckham)

"LA Galaxy is the best team in Los Angeles." (Cristiano Ronaldo)

"The players are dead tired, after returning from vacation." (Jose Mourinho)

"The squad is complete, except I need on more striker." (Mou)

" I would have loved to had the chance to be coached by Jose." (Becks)

"I don't like to compare my team to Barça." (Mou)

"Neymar is a Santos player. Aguero is an Atletico player. Adebayor is a Manchester City player. Of all three, Adebayor is the closest to becoming a Real Madrid player." (Mou)

"The press, when there is no competition, when there is nothing to write about, they create half truths. Iker is the captain.." (Mou)

"LA is our home away from home." (Mou)

"When I come at coach in MLS, Landon Donovan will be my assistant coach." (Mou) (You heard it here first!)


The team trained again at 5pm. This session was closed to the media. I have heard reports that Xabi Alonso did not train. Thus far the club has not announced any training sessions open to the public. But hopefully this will change. Double training sessions are planned for the rest of the week at 9:30am and 5pm.


On a separate note, on the way out of CAA, I met Landon Donovan and took a photo with him. Top guy.


Go to our forza futbol facebook page for tons more photos from today!










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The Ones That Got Away: Real Madrid Cantera

The transfer policy of Real Madrid is supposed to be a balance of Super Star imports, the best Spanish players that money can buy and the cantera. Well of late, the first two criteria have been very true, but the cantera or youth academy/development has been pretty poor. Well, poor for Real Madrid, that is. Most youth players have had very little chance of breaking the starting eleven as the team demanded instant results. The club required proven players and the jump for Segunda B to Primera was deemed to steep.

The most recent opportunity emerged when Castilla was promoted from Segunda B (the third division) and played in Segunda A (the second division in Spain). This opportunity to rejuvenate and repurpose the cantera, really came to nothing. Several players left Castilla after promotion because they saw the writing on the wall and wanted first team football. Only Miguel Torres (now at Getafe) broke through to the Real Madrid first team. Add to that, Real Madrid really didn't have the players in Real Madrid C to replenish Castilla, so they were relegated two years later, back to Segunda B. All in all, a very short term, short sighted approach to youth development and promotion.

That said, many Castilla and Real Madrid C players have moved on to play in other teams in La Liga and have flourished. One might say that the purpose of Real Madrid's cantera is to prepare players to play in the rest of the Spanish league. But is this really something Real Madrid should be proud of? Or is it merely a waste of resources and lack of vision?

Here is a list of some of the active ex Real Madrid canteranos, now plying their trade elsewhere:

Samuel Eto'o (Inter), Juan Mata (Valencia), Borja Valero (Villarreal), Luis Garcia (Espanyol), Alvaro Negredo (Sevilla), Roberto Soldado (Valencia) , Dani Parejo (Getafe), Jose Callejón (Espanyol), Juanfran (Atlético Madrid), Javi Garcia (Benfica) to name a few.

What do these players have in common? Attacking players who were given very little chance to reach their potential and play for the club of their youth and dreams. Unfortunately, they were not deemed important enough by the President, directors and coaches, who were more worried about their positions and instant success.

With the departure of Guti and Raúl (who originally came from Atlético), Iker Casillas is the only home grown canterano playing in the first team. Iker was scouted, formed, developed, promoted to, and succeeded in the first team. I guess you should also include Alvaro Arbeloa and Esteban Granero. But they were initially sold by the club, and later bought back, once they proved their worth at Liverpool and Getafe, respectively.

Is this really a successful youth policy? Is this the price of success?

THE BEST OF THE DECADE. Real Madrid XI.

The last ten years have seen the Los Blancos at it's highest and lowest points. The club has been at the top of it's game in such a way that their biggest rivals (on the local and Continental stage) are envious. Real's dominance was so powerful that it inspired teams such as Barcelona (to go back to the drawing board). But who were the players that took Madrid to the top and survived the black days? Who were the best of the bunch? Who are those who would play come rain or shine? Whenever these players took to the field in the past 10 years, Madridistas were always happy to see them. I did a little survey amongst some Madridistas and supporters of rival teams and here is my best eleven of the decade.

Iker Casillas Fernandez (GK): St. Iker was the easiest choice to make, he has been the number 1 goalie since the 98-99 season to date (although he lost it briefly to Cesar Sanchez in 2000). Iker's claim to fame is not his performances when Los Blancos where on top of their game, it has been his performances during their darkest years that has taken him into legendary status. How many goalies have suffered 6-1, 5-1, 5-0 loses and can hardly be blamed for such scores? Instead they are praised for their performances that prevented the score line from being even worse. That's the Iker effect for you. A Master of one on one saves and making impossible saves almost every week. How many goalies do you know that are Saints?

Michel Salgado (RB): Who can forget the blond long haired guy, running on the right side of the field like a wild man. A strong tackler and swift in launching counters and running at opposing defenders. His dominance on the right side of defense was unquestionable until old age started catching up with him and Ramos was moved to the right back position. He is still going strong at Blackburn though not as crisp as before. His dynamics and style is still missed in the current Madrid cause. We are yet to see a RB as dominating as he was.

Ivan Helguera Bujia(CD): One man whose rise up the ladder was so against the odds. A utility man whose partnership with another member of the team was purely magic. He was fantastic in the air and great in one on one tackles. Helguera was a threat in defense and attack (esp. from set pieces). He also had an eye for a long neat pass from time to time.

Fernando Ruiz Hierro (CD): Without any doubt one of the greatest players to ever put on the White Jersey for Los Merengues. A player who love or hate Real, you couldn't afford not to admire. A world class Leader on and off the pitch. His leadership qualities were greatly missed after the Management thought it wise to kick him off the team. A central defender (who also played in the midfield similar to Helguera), he was very deadly from direct free kicks and a threat from every set piece. How many central defenders were leading scorers for their national teams when they retired? Words from myself cannot do enough praise for this great man. He is responsible for one of my nicknames, Fernando.

Roberto Carlos da Silva Rocha (LB): if you didn't have an updated health insurance before facing Madrid, you were advised to except when Roberto Carlos had an injury or was suspended. He packed a cannon (maybe 5 cannon balls) in that left foot of his. He redefined the LB position and influenced a whole generation of left backs like Gareth Bale (who actually started as a LB), Marcelo, Coentrao amongst others. He was the best in the world at his peak in this position, no questions asked.

Claude Makele Sinda (DM) : One Man who since the day he left Real Madrid, life has never been the same for the Whites. A player whose departure ranks amongst the sins of Fiorentino Perez and will never be forgiven by many True Madridistas. I would quote what Zidane said after Makelele's departure, "Why put another layer of gold paint on the Bentley, when losing the entire engine?" He was quite the work horse in the team. He was a beast , not the glamorous one. He was the oil in that made the Real engine tick.

Zinedine Yazid Zidane (CM): What words can be used to describe the Master of the Game? The man who is widely considered the best of his generation and in the Maradonna class? I can't remember how many times I had heard the commentators say, "Only Zizou could have seen that player and made that pass". He had the eye for the killer pass, could hold up play and score amazing goals. He could predict the next two plays on the pitch. His vision or soccer IQ was immense. He could also tackle. He was the Man on every team. Even after he retired Coaches still begged him to play for them. Ruud Van Nistlerooy once said he regretted not been able to play with Zizou on the same team. I'm sure Ruud would have scored more than 30 goals in a season, if he had.

Luis Filipe Madeira Caerio Figo (RM): One player who shook La Liga. His arrival from FC Barcelona began the "Galactico Era" of Madrid. Best right winger of this decade. He has a unique way of delivering his crosses that made it so easy for Forwards like Fernando Morientes (remember when he scored 5 goals in a single game, all headers?). Figo's set piece delivery was fantastic. He was also a master at penalty kicks. Luis Figo was the best right winger of the decade, not just for Real Madrid but in Europe.

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (LM): CR9 before he became CR7 after Raul's departure. 60 goals in 61 games in only his 2nd season at Los Blancos. He has a record better than club legends such as Di Stefano, Pahinho and Ronaldo, O Fenomeno. Funny thing is, he is still not an out and out striker. He was inspired by Luis Figo and was supposed to be the "Next Figo" at Sporting Lisbon. Sir Alex Ferguson bought Cristiano to replace David Beckham at Manchester United. But he evolved into such a goal scoring machine that all the strikers on his teams started to look like midfielders. One can only imagine if he had played with the likes of Zizou and Figo? That team would have scored like crazy. Good with both feet and very strong in the air. He clearly is the best in his position in the world.

Raul Gonzalez Blanco (SF): He is Real Madrid and Real Madrid is Raul. Thats how fans of Real Madrid described Raul in Nigeria. Raul was master of not just goal scoring, but also of scoring some majestic goals. He was such a hard worker for the team. He was even willing to play a much deeper role and in effect reduced his goal scoring output for a few seasons. In the survey I conducted, some Madridistas choose Ruud Van Nistlerooy over him. I strongly believe that no true Madridista would drop Raul, whose blood flows with Real Madrid in it, for anyone.

Ronaldo Luis Nazario de lima (F): El Fenomeno was and is the greatest striker ever. He may not have been a 100% at his best s during his days with the whites, but his record speaks for itself. 104 goals in 177 games was no mean fit. The likes of Higuain benefited from training with the great one, despite his weight issues. He was not one to shy away from the big games.


                                   Casillas

Salgado-Hierro-Helguera-Carlos
                   
Figo-Zidane-Makelele-C. Ronaldo

Raúl-Ronaldo
    

Honorable Mentions: Steve McManaman, Fabio Cannavaro, Ruud Van Nistlerooy, Pepe, Santiago Solari (huge Favorite of mine), Esteban Cambiasso and Miguel Torres.


Article by Rapheal Harry for Forza Futbol

Old School Footage of 15 Year old Iker Casillas

Check out the awesome old school footage of 15 year old Iker Casillas playing with Spain's U-16's in Bolivia in 1996. A star is born! Best in the World.