Real Madrid is a club where you have to go when you are mature and at the top of your game.
I’m the Real Madrid coach, and the demands are huge.
In a match between Barca and Madrid, there are no favourites. It does not matter how they have been faring.
When you play for a club like Madrid, you always have to stay in the present, because everything is so intense: the sprints, the headers, the tackles, the training sessions, the away trips, the hotels. The victories and the defeats.
I was very young when I was with Real Madrid and in some ways ‘appreciated it and in others I didn’t.
When Real Madrid call you, you have to listen to them.
When you come to the Bernabeu, you have to be very superior to Madrid in order to win.
Madrid are a great club and were the challenge I sought after my long and successful Bayern career.
Carlo Ancelotti wanted me in Madrid and had bet on me.
Where do you go from Real Madrid that’s better? There’s one or two clubs up there but none better.
Real Madrid was my home for a long time and I’ve not forgotten it. I grew up there, I met a lot of people and I made my debut. There’s part of me that will always be there, I can’t deny it. To play for the first team was a dream.
I feel really sorry for the way I left Madrid, but the fans don’t always understand what happens in these cases.
Who wouldn’t want to play for Real Madrid? Like Manchester, they are one of the best clubs in the world – and it would be a pleasure to play for them.
I want to continue to be a first-team regular here at Madrid. That is my long-term goal.
The demands at Real Madrid are huge. The expectations are enormous. Sometimes, it is good. When you’re winning, it’s an amazing place and the fans are happy.
I set the record at Real Madrid in the Champions League, but Ronaldo is one of the best players in the world.
The attacks of September 11 – and subsequent acts of terror from London to Madrid to Fort Hood, Texas – embody the most repulsive of human instincts, the will to power at the price of the lives of others.
In Europe, I always say that Barcelona and Real Madrid are the ones to look out for.
I spoke with Zidane and he insisted that Casemiro is the player who gives Real Madrid balance. I decided to trust him and make him a starter.
Real Madrid. It is the best team in the world.
Barcelona or Real Madrid, I think I would say yes to playing for these teams.
I have many friends in Madrid and, therefore, know that they have a lot of respect for Bayern.
When you play in a great club like Real Madrid, it’s hard to stay here.
It’s difficult to say no to Madrid, especially for a Madridista.
I admire Arsenal and the philosophy that the young players have. Liverpool, with their Spanish players, they also have an incredible squad. And Manchester United and Chelsea are teams that are very big, like Real Madrid and Barcelona, with money and incredible players.
I had the luck of being in Madrid. They sign some of the best players in the world, and that really leaves fewer opportunities for young players.
I had dreamt of playing for Arsenal and Real Madrid, and those dreams came true. Maybe I can dream of winning the Ballon d’Or, and that can come true as well.
For me, Real Madrid are just like any other club, like Barcelona, Milan, Bayern Munich, or Inter. Just another big club.
Tell everyone loud and clear, I have as much enthusiasm for leaving Madrid as I do for dying.
The only club that could lure me away from Dortmund is Real Madrid.
When Atletico tried to buy me back, I did everything I could to make it possible. I had offers from clubs in France and Italy, but I would not have left Chelsea for any other side – only for Atletico Madrid.
In Madrid I lived quietly and then Lisbon cost me more. Language was a subject and adaptation was slow, but getting to Wolverhampton was radical. It gave me peace of mind. There I can go as if nothing to make my life. People approach, with respect, to tell me that they are happy with me.
It is hard for a young player at Real Madrid, they will always buy in new players and not look at the youths. If I stayed I could have been in the reserves for years.
When you’re playing for a great team like Madrid, with a lot of pressure because you have to win every game, it’s a difficult life.
I always say that I need competition, and I need competition every week, and in Spain, I was at an amazing club, but I had four matches a year: Barcelona v Real Madrid, Real Madrid v Barcelona, and after that, we’d win 4-0, 5-0, 4-1, 6-1.
I don’t have regrets about leaving Real Madrid.
My plan is to retire at Real Madrid.
With what I’ve already achieved in my career – winning trophies and playing in finals, important matches against Real Madrid and Barcelona, winning the Europa League and the Super Cup, and in the Champions League – sometimes you’ve earned the right to say something.
I went to Madrid to play football but I couldn’t because I was never left in peace.
I hope I can get many goals for Real Madrid.
There is definitely a difference when you are fighting for a title against clubs like United or Real Madrid or Barcelona. They are so used to winning, it means that you have to have a different frame of mind when you challenge them because that’s the only way to overcome them.
There are Champions League matches that have really wowed me, like when I saw the final between Real Madrid and Juventus. There are plenty of other matches too, it’s also something that motivates me.
I’ve been working since I was 17, when I started playing for Fluminense, which helped me a lot, I grew a lot there and even more at Real Madrid.
A month before signing for Chelsea I was very close to doing so with Real Madrid as Mourinho said he wanted me.
Figo was my hero. Then he joined Madrid. Barca fans hated him for that. It was impossible for him to be a hero any more, but now that I’m a professional, I see things differently.
I’m very happy with Bale. He loves playing for Real Madrid, and he’s got a chance to show what a wonderful footballer he can be.
Madrid is a club with very high demands.
Real Madrid is a big club, and like at any other big club, too, there are always critics after defeats.
Madrid are a great club with some fantastic people and I used to play there.
Since Carlo Ancelotti has arrived, he had emphasised hard work and intensity, and now that is what Real Madrid are associated with. He has playing experience, which makes him different to other coaches.
Defending for a team as offensive as Real Madrid isn’t that easy.
I’m happy at Real Madrid and can imagine ending my career here – if all goes well.
There is a lot of respect for Real Madrid, but it doesn’t mean we can’t beat them.
Real Madrid’s interest? Yes, it’s true, Real Madrid were interested in me. It was an honour and pleasure for me, it means that I have worked well in these years.
When I first heard Madrid were interested, nothing else mattered. I just wanted to come here. This is the best club in the world, with the best coach and great players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Xabi Alonso, Gonzalo Higuain, Angel Di Maria… so many great players.
In Spain, we always talk about Madrid and Barca for the title and that is normal because they are the two teams with the most history.
I came to Manchester City because I see them growing and getting bigger. Can they be as big as Real Madrid? Yes, I hope so.
I came from playing in a team with my mates to having the chance to play for Real Madrid.
If the opportunity came to manage Al Ahli then why not? I would also like to one day coach one of the globe’s great teams such as Italy, Real Madrid or Juventus.
