Cristiano Ronaldo returns to Lisbon

Cristiano Ronaldo made an emotional return to Lisbon on Thursday evening as Real Madrid touched down in Portugal ahead of Saturday's all Spanish Champions League final against Atletico Madrid.

The 29-year-old looked relaxed as he chatted with compatriot Pepe after stepping off Real's private plane at Lisbon airport, just 48 hours before Carlo Ancelotti's side take to the pitch at the Estadio da Luz.

Ronaldo arrived back in the capital, where he spent six years playing for Sporting Lisbon before moving to Manchester United in 2003, having been assured of a place in Carlo Ancelotti's starting XI against Atletico.

The Becks effect! United shares rocket by £80MILLION after Class of '92 linked with Old Trafford takeover bid.

Manchester United shares rose by £80million in the wake of speculation linking David Beckham and the Class of '92 with a takeover bid.

It was reported on Thursday that Beckham, along with former team-mates Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and Phil Neville, were in talks to front a buyout of the club by the Qatari royal family.

The Sun claimed that the current owners – the Glazer family – had lost interest in United following a disastrous season under David Moyes. United, however, later rubbished such suggestion.

It had been suggested in The Sun that the Glazers have become disillusioned with running the club as they lurch from one disaster to another under David Moyes.

United find themselves seventh in the Barclays Premier League, having just suffered back-to-back 3-0 home defeats to rivals Liverpool and Manchester United, and have been drawn with Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

But club sources insist the club is not up for sale, with the Glazers determined to stay in charge and oversee a rebuilding job to challenge once again at the top of the table.  

The referee made a lot of mistakes.

"There were a lot of mistakes for just one game. A match between Real and Barca ought to have a high level of referee," said Ronaldo.

"You can't make correct decisions when you are nervous. It makes me think that it is not just on the field that you win games, a little help from outside helps too.

"My penalty might have been just outside the area, but there are many things that went on. It is difficult when many people didn't want us to win today."

Ronaldo's coach Carlo Ancelotti was more level-headed about Mallenco's decisions, but did agree that Ramos' red card swung the game in Barca's favour.

"I haven't seen it again and it is difficult for me to comment on the decisions of the referee because there were many.

"However, it was the key moment. We were winning 3-2 and controlling the game well, but it is much more difficult to control the game with a player less."

Cristiano Ronaldo blamed Barcelona’s thrilling 4-3 win over Real Madrid last night on the incompetence of match official Alberto Undiano.The Real Madrid forward said: 'The referee made a lot of mistakes. We needed to have a referee who was up to the level of the match. He looked very pale and nervous. I don’t want to justify the result but he was poor.'The current Balon d’Or winner also hinted at an anti-Madrid conspiracy when he said: 'There were people who did not want us to win and Barcelona to be left out of the title race.

The referee made a game changing decision midway through the second half when he decided that Neymar had been fouled by Sergio Ramos and gave a penalty and a red card.

But, Ancelotti said: 'I have not had another look at the incidents so I cannot say if the referee’s decisions cost us the game. It is not something I have discussed with the players after the match.'

No one can stop Ronaldo ...

He's got this knack, Cristiano Ronaldo, of making every opponent he faces look mediocre. It doesn't matter who they are, which team they play for or what the game plan is. If Ronaldo gets the ball one-on-one and takes a defender and then a goalkeeper on, Real Madrid is scoring a goal. He's proved it time and again so far this season in this competition, especially over those two legs against Schalke.
A player in the Champions League as relentless and as powerful against top-level opposition has never before existed. Some flicker. Some have a season or two. None measure up to what Ronaldo can do. He has scored 13 goals in this season's Champions League and weighed in with four assists for good measure. He has just matched Ferenc Puskas' Real Madrid goalscoring record, taking 25 matches fewer than the great Hungarian in the process. He is singlehandedly re-writing what it means to be a Real Madrid goalscoring legend. Fans will look back on the likes of Raul and Santillana and wonder if the were ever any good at all.
This is not intended to demean the rest of the Real Madrid squad, but it is intended to set Ronaldo apart as the best individual player in the competition. Real Madrid could be having a bad game, struggling, and all it would take is five seconds of possession for Ronaldo to get a goal.
So no matter who Madrid draws, if the collective can't beat them, the great Ronaldo will.

battles and blood.

Dortmund are safely through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League after eventually seeing off Zenit St Petersburg, though the night was embroiled in battles and blood.

Late on in the game, Zenit midfielder Tomas Hubocan clashed with Robert Lewandowski and was left down on the floor with a large gash.

Also, visiting fans were pictured burning a Germany flag in the stands while their team toiled on the pitch.

With a 4-2 away win in the bank, Borussia held almost all of the cards and played them conservatively to secure their passage even as they lost 2-1 on home soil.

Hulk's 16th-minute wonder strike for Zenit was cancelled out by Sebastian Kehl seven minutes before half-time, and although Zenit substitute Rondon scored a second with 17 minutes to go, there was little threat of them getting back on level terms.

The only significant negative for Jurgen Klopp was a yellow card for star striker Robert Lewandowski, ruling him out of their next match.

Carlo Ancelotti will not rest Cristiano Ronaldo against Champions League opponents Schalke.

Spanish leaders Real host arch-rivals Barcelona, who are third, on Sunday.

"Playing well against Schalke is the best way to prepare for the Clasico," said Ancelotti.

"We are excited and keen to play well because it is a Champions League match and we must maintain the team's good form."

Real, who are four points clear of Barca in La Liga with Atletico Madrid three behind in second, are aiming for their 31st match unbeaten in all competitions when they meet Schalke.

Chelsea, Galatasaray and Didier Drogba

Chelsea will need to rise above the misty-eyed nostalgia surrounding Didier Drogba's return to Stamford Bridge as it looks to secure a place in the quarterfinals of the Champions League on Tuesday.
Drogba scored 157 goals in eight trophy-laden years at Chelsea and forever will be remembered for converting the penalty that won the London club the Champions League in the 2012 final against Bayern Munich.
Two years later, though, he will pose the biggest danger to Chelsea as part of a Galatasaray team that is tied at 1-1 with the Premier League leaders after the first leg of the last 16.

Bale: There's no-one better than Ronaldo...

Gareth Bale thinks that his Real Madrid team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo is currently the best player on the planet and he will lead their side to another La Liga title.

Despite Lionel Messi's outstanding performance for Barcelona against Manchester City on Wednesday night, Bale is sure that Ronaldo is the world's greatest.

'Cristiano is the best player in the world at the moment and we all know how good he is,' said Bale. 'It helps me a lot being in a front line with him and I hope we can keep improving and win a title this season.'

Bale was speaking at the presentation of his new Adidas F50 boots and couldn't resist mentioning the success possible for Real by the end of the season.

Madrid are due to play Barcelona in the league on Sunday March 23 and Bale said: 'They are wonderful games for any player. 

'We're hungry to play in them and, if possible, obviously we want to win. The next game is Málaga, so that's what we're concentrating on at the moment.

'We're right in there in all three competitions. We have the chance to win them all, but we're going to take it one game at a time.'

Real are now top of La Liga by three points with all the team having just 11 games left

'It's true that we're in a good position,' said Bale. 'If we keep doing a good job and winning, we don't have to worry about other teams and we can achieve our objective, which is the league 

Bayern Munich hit 50 unbeaten and surpass Arsenal record.

Bayern Munich have surpassed the record set by Arsenal's Invincibles in the 2003/04 season who went 49 without defeat. MailOnline have picked the most regular starting XIs from both those sides and pitted them against each other man for man. It is Arsenal's Invincibles against Bayern Munich's Unbeatables.

Arsenal went unbeaten for 49 games - going the entire 2003/04 league campaign without defeat.

'It’s a nightmare. It’s one of the worst days I’ve ever had in football.'

United boss David Moyes lamented the concession of the second penalty, just moments after the second half began, as the key moment in his team's demise.

Phil Jones barged into Joe Allen and prompted referee Mark Clattenburg to point to the spot.

Wayne Rooney described Manchester United's defeat to Liverpool as a nightmare and one of the lowest points in his career after losing 3-0 to their rivals at Old Trafford.

Rooney's side are now 14 points behind Liverpool, and are all but out of the race for the top four.

Rooney and strike partner Robin van Persie struggled to get into the game, whichs saw Steven Gerrard score two penalties, miss another, and Luis Suarez round off a perfect win for Liverpool.

Another game, another record.

 Leo Messi scored a hat-trick to become Barcelona’s all-time leading goalscorer in all competitions and friendlies.

He goes past Paulino Alcantara and has now scored 371 goals for Barcleona who moved back to four points behind Real Madrid with an emphatic 7-0 win.

Messi also moved to within one goal of former Real Madrid legend Hugo Sanchez for goals scored in the league. He could pass Sanchez in next week’s clasico in the Santiago Bernabeu.

Adidas have created a special pair of football boots for Lionel Messi to celebrate his record breaking 371st goal in a Barcelona shirt.

A bespoke pair of adizero f50 Messi boots, featuring different designs on the left and right foot, were inspired by the Argentinian's astonishing statistics.

Speaking of the record, Messi said: 'Being the all-time top goal-scorer for such an amazing club is a true honour. I would like to thank adidas for the fact that they have produced these beautiful boots to celebrate this new record.'

Gerrard missed his 3rd Goal.

The Liverpool skipper confidently converted spot-kicks either side of half-time after a handball from Rafael and a foul on Joe Allen by Phil Jones.

Liverpool were awarded a third when Nemanja Vidic was sent off for a foul on Daniel Sturridge but Gerrard missed.

However, Luis Suarez made amends late on when he poked home from close range.

Bayern Munich 2-1 Bayer Leverkusen: Mandzukic and Schweinsteiger secure another home win for Bundesliga leaders.

Bayern Munich completed half a century of Bundesliga games without defeat with victory over the only remaining league side they have not beaten yet this season.

With Borussia Dortmund losing earlier on Saturday, Bayern now have a 23-point advantage at the top of the table and could wrap up the title quicker than anybody ever before with a win at Mainz next weekend.

Leverkusen, who drew at home to Bayern earlier this season, were the last side to beat the Bavarians in October 2012.

They showed why they have proven to be a thorn in Bayern's side with a bold beginning to the game, Stefan Kiessling sending Heung-Min Son through for a good early chance which the South Korean slotted wide of the far post.

Kiessling was almost faced with only Manuel Neuer to beat in the 14th minute, but the offside flag stopped him in his tracks.

While they were not creating many chances, Bayern were playing their usual possession game and they finally made the breakthrough just a minute before half-time.

Chelsea's title bid suffered a major blow with a defeat by Aston Villa in which two Blues players and manager Jose Mourinho were sent off.

The league leaders, who had a first-half goal ruled out for handball, were reduced to 10 men when Willian was shown a second yellow card.

And Villa made the extra man count as Fabian Delph finished Marc Albrighton's low cross

with a superb back-heel.

Ramires and Mourinho were then both ordered off in a bad-tempered finale.

The Blues' boss was sent to the stands for protesting during the melee that followed a two-footed lunge by Ramires on Karim El Ahmadi.

The defeat means Chelsea's Premier League lead over Manchester City is now six points. City, who had beaten Hull 2-0 earlier in the day despite captain Vincent Kompany's early red card, have three games in hand.

Mourinho has repeatedly played down his team's title chances and, on this evidence, he may be justified after a lacklustre performance that raised serious questions about their ability to stay on top of the pile.

The Blues created few chances in either half, with striker Fernando Torres anonymous up front and Brazilians Oscar and Willian lacking spark.

Isco will be crucial to Madrid and Spain

Former Real Madrid and Malaga defender Fernando Sanz says attacking midfielder Isco can be one of his side's most important players in the near future. The 20-year-old joined los Blancos from Malaga last summer and has played a big role in their campaign as they continue to challenge for La Liga, the Champions League and Copa del Rey. Sanz says the Spain international could become an integral player for club and country if he continues to develop but insists he needs to remain patient at this stage in his career. “Throughout the history of Real Madrid we have seen cases like Isco,” Sanz said in an interview with the LFP which was published by Marca.

about Lionel Andrés Messi

Personal information
Full name	Lionel Andrés Messi[1]
Date of birth	24 June 1987 (age 26)[1]
Place of birth	Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina[1]
Height	169 cm (5 ft 7 in)[1]
Playing position	Forward
Club information
Current club	Barcelona
Number	10
Youth career
1995–2000	Newell's Old Boys
2000–2003	Barcelona
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2003–2004	Barcelona C	10	(5)
2004–2005	Barcelona B	22	(6)
2004–	Barcelona	266	(230)
National team‡
2004–2005	Argentina U20	18	(14)
2007–2008	Argentina U23	5	(2)
2005–	Argentina	83	(37)

Alvaro Arbeloa out for eight weeks

The 31-year-old right back Real Madrid defender Alvaro Arbeloa has been ruled out for at least eight weeks with an injury to his right knee, making him unlikely to play again this season.







 Arbeloa last played in the 2-2 derby draw against Atletico Madrid on March 3 and was left out of the Spain squad to face Italy the following week.

Wayne Rooney " Robin van Persie and me can do better"

“I think we are doing all right," Rooney told the club's official website. "Obviously, we can do better and if we are not at the top of the league then that will get looked at and we understand that.
The Old Trafford club sits sixth in the Premier League, with the pair coming under scrutiny, especially when compared with Anfield strike duo Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez.
And Rooney says he and the Dutchman are "working hard" to improve on their combined goal return of 27 this season.

Radamel Falcao remains hopeful that he can be fit in time to represent Colombia in the World Cup this summer.

The Monaco striker damaged his cruciate knee ligaments at the start of the year and was expected to miss out on the tournament in Brazil this year.
However, the 28-year-old is happy at the speed of his recovery and believes he might be back to full fitness ahead of schedule.

Juventus star Andrea Pirlo has insisted that he will put pen to paper on a new contract with the club in the very near future.

The veteran midfielder's current deal expires at the end of the season and he is yet to commit his future to the Bianconeri. However, he has now revealed that there is been a delay over minor details and assured fans he will still be representing the club next term.