Real Madrid Club de Fútbol - Beating the Best!

Real Madrid beat Barcelona and Bayern to signature!

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Lewandowski has been a key player at Dortmund, breaking several records and establishing himself as one of the best.


Real Madrid C.F. have just announced the signing of Polish striker Robert Lewandowski from Bayern for a total sum of £18.25 million. It has also been confirmed that Lewandowski has signed a five year contract which will pay him £100,000 a week. The contract has been constructed to ward off any future interest in the frontman, with a release clause of £625 million. The deal is believed to be part front payment and part installments - with reliable Goal.com resources revealing that Madrid have agreed to pay £5.25 million upfront with £13 million in 48 monthly installments.

Real Madrid have completed this deal in a rather quick fashion, after it was revealed by Dortmund officials barely a week ago that a bid from Real Madrid for Lewandowski had been accepted. This will prove to be a massive boost for Real Madrid, as they have also affirmed their status as a desirable destination for top footballers - with Madrid having beaten off the interest from Barcelona and FC Bayern, who were both believed to also be in talks with Lewandowski's agent, to get the Polish sensation. Inside sources reveal that Real Madrid boss Abhinav Srivastava had himself met Lewandowski along with assistant manager Zinedine Zidane in order to talk about the club's vision and its aims.

This also happens to be the first piece of business for new Madrid manager Abhinav, who took over from Jose Mourinho, and may be regarded as an excellent piece of business if Lewandowski can find the right form with the Galacticos. Manager Abhinav expressed his joy at having someone of the caliber of Lewandowski accept the offer and come to play under him, saying that "If you look at the current strikers, Robert has to be right up there with them. He is one of the best. His four goal haul against Madrid is reminiscent of that. To have him at Madrid is a pleasure. I am sure that Madrid fans will warm up to him quickly, considering that he does what he does best: score goals". On being quizzed if there were going to be any further dealings by Real Madrid, he declined to comment. What remains to be seen is how manager Abhinav fits both Benzema and Lewandowski into the strikeforce.

Friendlies

Not really a good start for me here, not something you would expect from Real Madrid was it.. but well, our record signing is injured for god knows how long and the team was getting used to how I wanted them to play - they had played in a different way under Mourinho. And well with the gazillion signings that Madrid makes every year, it is hard for people to find a rhythm with each other and understand each others' playing styles. But well, this will all change. Hopefully we are looking at better things.

We got Lewandowski after these matches ended, and once Bale is back, the two of them along with Ronaldo will tear teams to pieces. I remember a fan saying that the kind of game he saw from Madrid in these friendlies was "not good" and that "they should have scored more". The same fan will be kissing our asses and telling us how we revolutionized soccer play with our tactical changes.

The best performer thus far, in the preseason, has to be Cristiano Ronaldo. Thankfully, my playing style seems to suit him, and he seems to be on form, no matter where I play him, on the wings or upfront partnering Karim, he wreaks havoc.

Friendlies don't count, no. The real matches do. Which will begin after this. With our first one being against Real Betis at our home stadium. Let's see what we can spring up for them.

Now is the time. To prove myself. And to make a mark!

August 2013 - The first step

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Versus Real Betis
Goals by: Sami Khedira (28'), Ronaldo (43', 82'), Modric (77'), Lewandowski (84')
we seemed to run Betis ragged, and quite honestly should have finished the game with a scoreline of 8-0 since atleast three of our chances beat the Betis keeper but hit the woodwork! But still, 5-0 is a great score to have in your first game as a manager. Let me restate that, an absolutely amazing score to have as a manager who hasn't ever done shit of this sort. The choice to play Di Maria and Ronaldo on the wings paid off, and with Lewandowski leading the strike, it was lethal. Constant threat. Just as I like it.

At Granada
Goals by: Benzema (10'), Ronaldo (64')
I decided to go with the same lineup, except have Benzema come in for Lewandowski and let go of a central midfielder to accomodate an AMC in the form of Isco. Our attack seemed fine, but the defence looked a bit shaky - which makes me realize that this tactic is perhaps for games when we play at home, where we can be risky..

At Beijing
Goals by:Pepe (8'), Ronaldo (34'), Lewandowski (43', 45'), Benzema (86')
Let me sum this up: We played two strikers and two wingers. Created plenty of chances. Scored five times. Very good so far. Conceded three against a team like Beijing. Not Good at all. It was only a friendly so I am not really bothered about it..

Versus Athletic
Goals by:Khedira (3'), Varane (8'), Gurpegi o.g. (22'), Lewandowski (61')
Great game here. Dominated another team at home. Khedira seems to be in good form, which makes me feel that my decision to not let him move to Paris was a good one.. he brings something really different to the team. Goes unnoticed most of the times, but he is solid.

Player of the Month
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CR7 - 3 games, 4 goals.. what else can a manager ask for? As I have previously said, he can play anywhere on the attack and causes all sorts of problems to defenders. Just waiting for Bale to be back so we can actually measure our firepower, which will give us a fair idea of where we stand against teams..

La Liga/Liga BBVA Table

UEFA Champions League Group Stages Draw

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Group A


Group B


Group C


Group D


Group E


Group F


Group G


Group H

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Transfer Window Roundup

With the Spanish transfer window coming to a close, Sky Sports brings you the ten biggest transfers of this season's initial window. There were multiple rumors of who would sign who. Multiple stories suggested that this window would see the Galacticos' Sami Khedira and Marcelo head abroad to Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City respectively, with even other rumours linking their neighbours Atletico Madrid's Koke as being the likely target of Juventus' summer approach, however, these moves did not materialise and the eventual transfers put forth a rather different image.

The biggest move of the transfer window comes in the form of Andriy Yarmolenko making the switch from Dynamo Kyiv to FC Barcelona for a whopping £23 million. The 23 year old Ukranian winger signed a five year, £51K a week contract with the Blaugrana.

Barcelona also saw the departures of Pedro and Cristian Tello who will now ply their trades in the Barclays Premier League - by moving to Chelsea for £19.75 million and Manchester City for £8.5 million respectively.

However, the move that generated the biggest hype, was definitely Real Madrid's early acquisition of former Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski from Der BVB for £18.25 million, in the process beating off competition from Bayern Munich and domestic rivals Barcelona - for an amount which was considered a huge bargain. Following the move, Lewandowski has already got his debut goal for Los Merengues and it will be interesting to see if he justifies the huge hype around his arrival.

To wrap up this feature, let's have a look at the Top 10 Transfers from the Liga BBVA!

September 2013 - All Guns Blazing

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At Villareal
Goals By: Gabriel Paulista o.g.(59'), Benzema (81'), Modric (84')

At FK Austria Wien
Goals By: Pepe (57'), Thorsten Butkovic o.g. (72'), Cristiano Ronaldo (82')

Versus Getafe
Goals By: Lewandowski (10'), Cristiano Ronaldo (24', 40', pen 90+2'), Benzema (44')

At Elche
Goals By: Varane (35'), C. Ronaldo (pen 65')

Versus Atletico Madrid
Goals By: C. Ronaldo 36', pen 50', pen 81'), Di Maria (52'), Varane (89')

What a glorious month it has been for me. Early in the season, 7 games in, and we are top of the table! Spectacularly we have not dropped a single point yet! The two biggest games of this month undoubtedly were - the ones against Austria Wien and Atletico Madrid. Austria Wien since it was my first match in charge at the European level and with so much focus being on the 'La Decima' or the tenth title, the burden was huge. Thankfully we secured a 3-0 win. The biggest game was undoubtedly the Madrid derby. Facing our city rivals, it was a massive fixture and I wanted my squad to be upto the mark, which is why I only brought on Ronaldo later on in the match against Elche and did not start him. My nervousness and anxiety about the Madrid derby were however unfounded as we played them out of the park and demolished them at our home ground 5-0. Ronaldo was the inspiring performer, having gotten a hattrick and having stepped up his game in a match that clearly mattered.

Player of the Month - CR7
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The poster boy of Real Madrid. He got a stunning 8 goals and 1 assists this month for us, which included two hat-tricks! If he plays the same way that he is now, we will overcome any opposition once Bale is back! Hala Madrid!

La Liga / Liga BBVA Table


UEFA Champions League Group C

The £85m man

Well, here he was, the marquee signing of the previous transfer window. No transfer window had ever been complete without Real Madrid flexing their muscles and getting another 'Galactico' to add to the already star studded squad of the Spanish club. And the man training in front of me had been that Galactico this time, Gareth Bale. Underrated, overrated, overvalued, hyped, was he all of this? I really don't know. I didn't really follow Tottenham that much to be frank, but I do remember his performance against Inter Milan - which had become his moment of glory. And if we could get this boy to play that way, we would have absolutely no trouble.

He had been cleared by the medical staff here in mid September itself, but I didn't want to risk it, so I decided to extend his hiatus by another two weeks, which I am sure helped him...

What I really need to decide now, is how to fit all the talent we have into the team... Ronaldo, Bale, Lewandowski, Benzema, Isco, Jese, Morata. Talk about being spoilt for choice.

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[GB11]

Biggest club in the world. I still couldn't get my head to come to grips with the fact that I was now playing for nine-time European Champions, and the Biggest and Most Popular club in the world - Real Madrid. My injury had really hampered my first few months here, but I won't lie I am just glad to be able to take to the field in the next match, as the boss has promised me. The fans have been amazing here, and I really cannot wait to pay their faith and confidence back, with wins and goals.

Settling in any new club can be difficult, but luckily I have Modric here too - which is an immense help since he is someone I can talk to when I need to, and hopefully our friendship can grow further!

I also understand that the huge transfer deal that got me here will mean that the spotlight will be on how I perform. And not just me, it will also be on a compatriot of mine - Cristiano Ronaldo. A lot has already been said, about how he will not be as receptive to me as he might have been and that he is an egomaniac and what not. But I don't think so. Today's meeting with him has made me believe that I can depend on him as much as anyone else and that he will always put the team first. It's a dream to play with him, to train with him. He has been my idol. I think he is the most complete footballer I have seen yet. Can't wait to partner with him, and make that right flank mine.

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Ronaldo has been very welcoming of me to Real Madrid. I really look forward to playing alongside him.

The moment I had dreamt of as a child has arrived. This is my stadium now, these are my colours and these are my fans. This is now, my new home. And I will give it my all. I will not let this one slip by. La Liga, here we come.