Cristiano Ronaldo is the world's highest-paid football player

Cristiano Ronaldo leads the standings not only of the Golden Boot. According to the ranking prepared by the Belgian magazine Sport Foot Magazine, he is the world's highest-paid player with a salary of 12 million euros a year. The podium is completed by Rooney, with 11.5, and Messi, 11.

The white player is not alone in his team among the best paid. Kaka, with eight million, is the eighth in the list. Casillas and Benzema (both with 6) occupy the twentieth position and Xabi Alonso is 43, with 4.6 million euros.

Spanish. The Spanish player who receives a higher salary is Fernando Torres (7.8 million euros). In the ranking are displayed other seven national players: Xavi (7.5), Iniesta (7), Casillas, Villa (6),Puyol (5), Silva (5) and Xabi, all world champions. The championship whit more players among the highest paid is the Premier, with 22, followed by the League, with 13. By teams, Manchester City has seven players on this list. In the second position would find tied Real Madrid, Manchester United, Barcelona and Chelsea with five players.

In these times of global crisis, take a look at the ranking of the highest paid players fuels a stupor. But that business is mounted in this way, the market rules. The stars are in high demand and mortgage clubs to fight in the elite. The team that does not invest strong, does not exit. The key is to put the money where it occurs and not where it rots. To understand: pay 12 million to Cristiano Ronaldo can be more profitable than 5.7 to Vieira or 4.5 to Nesta.

Cristiano is a football machine. A superb player who will get points and titles. Like amagnet attracts the public, the advertising world and never disappoints with his boots on. Real Madrid pay his tab without pain, like Casillas, another guarantor of the greatness of the club. Portuguese is the real "Special One". As in everything, the more expensive the cheapest. Of course, in these rankings there is somebody who lives on income.

Interview: Cristiano Ronaldo (1)

Cristiano Ronaldo

After the draw at Almería seems this season will be even harder to overcome Barcelona. Is the entire second lap, but the Catalans have been winter champions breaking many records.

It is always difficult to impose yourself on a rival like this Barcelona. Only become easier if we win every game of the second round. But you have to think positive, because despite all we are in a good time in all three competitions. It is true that Barcelona right now is first, but not that far away. Clearly if we won every game in the end the league will be ours.

The game against Barcelona at the Bernabeu, will be decisive?
No, there is so more. But it will be a great game, no doubt. First we have to win every game until then, it will not be easy.

Talk about the meeting of the Camp Nou, 5-0. What did you think of that night's performance of Iturralde (referee)?
It's a game that is already forgotten, I do not like too much looking back. It was a bad day not just one or two of us, but eight or nine. In a team like ours cannot afford such a thing, but we must move forward and learn from those situations. Barca played very well and we must draw positive conclusions from the defeat. When we play against Barcelona at home we think it will be very different.

League (Day 19): Mourinho reactions

MOURINHO: "I HOPE NEITHER REAL MADRID NOR BARCELONA DON'T HAVE PÉREZ LASA AGAIN"

Mourinho angry with the referee

Jose Mourinho evaluated in this way the match in Almería: "We lost two points, but by analyzing the first round the numbers are good. I also say we want to win the championship, not to do good numbers. Let's see what happens in the second round. I hope neither Real Madrid nor Barcelona don't have Perez Lasa again".

The Portuguese insisted the referee: "I do not complain about the referee. I prefer to speak well of them rather than bad. When I can speak well of a referee, as I did in the Cup, I do it with pleasure. When I cannot speak well, I try to speak no bad. I know this referee from 96 and is exactly the same".

"Under normal conditions, the league is very long if the referees’ criteria are equal for all. If the referees whistle with the same feeling to all teams, the league is wide open because we are in the middle of the championship" he said.

Mourinho then went into business Benzema: "He has played every game since Higuain is injured and against Almeria I decided to play with Kaka, who is ready and working well. He needs time to regain his best form, but to have been six months out I think he has done well".

Real Madrid coach did not think team notice the physical effort: "No, fatigue has not weighed. It is obviously not easy to play as many games and players are not machines, but our opponents also played Cup this week, although a match of a different intensity. Maybe we did not win because the opponent defended well and because we played at a rate too low for the first time, easy to control. I'm nobody to talk to the approach of rival. They have made a great effort and I congratulate them for the match they have done".

League (Day 19): Kaka and Ramos reactions

KAKA: "IT'S A PAIN SCORE, BUT I THINK IT IS NOT FINAL"

Kaka played as starter against Almeria

How have you seen your first game as starter in this season?
We have not been well and have not done essentially that is to win.

How have you felt on the pitch?
I have not been any better or worse than in other games. I'm slowly gathering pace and I'm feeling better. I have participated in good plays. The team was loose, and Almeria has made a great game and great effort. We have not been able to achieve success.

After this match, can we say that Madrid has lost the league?
Now we cannot lose another game, but we just finished the first round and championship is still much ahead. There is a match we have to play at home against Barcelona. This result is painful, but I do not think that is final. We still have a chance of overcoming the advantage that now leads Barcelona.

Do you think the referee has harmed the Real Madrid not whistling a possible penalty?
In the final leg of the match there were some controversial moves, but I was on the bench and I could not see. I'll have to see them repeatedly on television. I'd rather be sure of what happened before say.

What happened after the game in the incident that took Casillas and Vargas?
I do not know. I did not see what happened between them.

Was Mourinho angrily in the locker room after the match?
The coach was angry, but as we were all team players. Obviously, we are not at all happy with this result.


RAMOS: "THE DRAW IS BAD, BUT THE LEAGUE IS NOT LOST YET"

"I congratulate Almeria for a draw it has achieved. From now, we have to play the remaining games if they were finals. We have not to find excuses for the referees, but it is true that there was a clear penalty on Cristiano. There is still a lot of season ahead and we will continue working to achieve our objectives. It was a tense game. We must recognize that the result we got here is bad, but the league still is not lost. We are going to continue fighting; it still needs to play the entire second round. "

League (Day 19): Granero and Arbeloa reactions

GRANERO: "WE CANNOT GO HOME HAPPY"

Real Madrid midfielder Esteban Granero has shown sad for failing to achieve the three points in the match against Almeria: "We should not lose points and we cannot go home happy".

The Real Madrid’s player scored the only goal, said that in the last minutes of the match Real Madrid had a chance to win but its effort came too late to achieve: "There have been controversial a couple of plays at the end, a hand and another play with bad luck in the Cristiano’s shot. We waited for the final and there was no luck".

About Mourinho’s decision of playing without striker, Granero said that coach is always right: "Are tactical issues to which we conform. The coach, better than anyone, knows how to put the team".

Despite the tie, Granero said he was confident to catch Barcelona in the overall standings: "At the moment we must wait. There is much and are convinced there is time to go back to Barca".


ARBELOA: "HERE YOU CANNOT GIVE 45 OR 60 MINUTES"

Real Madrid defender Alvaro Arbeloa said his team was not well in the match against Almeria: "We have been slow to respond. At first you cannot give 45 or 60 minutes".

The White defense was unhappy with the play of his team: "We are a team in every field we have to go to win; we have not done the best today".

In addition, Arbeloa praised the rival team's game: "They were well put together, have a good game looking for counter-attacks". In the same way would not make excuses for the possible exhaustion of the team: "Almeria also played Cup, we cannot excuse. We used to play Wednesday and Sunday and are ready for them".

However, Arbeloa believes that Madrid still has a chance of winning the league: "Every point you lose can be decisive. It is all around; saying that all is lost would be crazy but now I cannot stumble again".

Spanish League: Day 19

ALMERIA 1 - REAL MADRID 1

Real Madrid drew 1-1 against Almeria on Sunday and were thus unable to bring the first half of the season to a close with their sixth straight win. The Whites surrendered the lead shortly after the restart and Granero equalized 17 minutes later, but the Whites were stymied by referee Perez Lasa, who failed to award a spot-kick in the waning seconds of the match.

Granero scored the Real Madrid's goal

Kaka earned his first start of the season in detriment of Benzema. Without a true ‘9’ on the field, Cristiano, Di Maria and the Brazilian shared duties in attack. Perhaps due to accumulated fatigue from Thursday’s league encounter, Real Madrid were unable to dictate the pace they are accustomed to. The first half flew by with only on chance on goal, but Khedira’s misfire sailed well wide.

Benzema stepped in for Kaka shortly after the restart and Real Madrid grew more confident, but it was Almeria who drew first blood. Piatti turned inward towards goal and managed to get the ball to Ulloa, who beat Casillas with a powerful shot towards the post on 60’.

Mourinho sat Marcelo and Albiol and ordered Granero and Carvallho onto the pitch; a move that saw the defense shrink to only three center-backs. Thirteen minutes after setting foot on the pitch, Granero fired in the equalizer following a pass by Benzema.

Real Madrid pressured in search of a winner as Almeria retreated satisfied with the draw. Just on the verge of the end of regulation, Cristiano Ronaldo’s free kick struck Mbami on the hand and rather than point to the penalty spot, referee Perez Lasa awarded another free kick just outside the box. But as luck would have it, Ronaldo’s ensuing free kick struck the crossbar and the match came to a disappointing end.

Summary

Stadium: Mediterranean Games
Attendance: 13,893
Goals: 1-0, M.58: Leo Ulloa. 1-1, M.76: Granero.

Link

Preview: Almeria vs Real Madrid

Kaka could be started against a rising Almería

Kaka could be starter against Almeria

Before the usual comment on the statements of Mourinho (the match always starts on him), should be wondering if the Real Madrid one day acknowledge fatigue, because the effort of the Cup, was preceded by fatigue against Villarreal and often so intense battles tend to make marks, physical or psychological, if not both types. Currently, only Di Maria ends matches tired and his exhaustion is because the guy does not run, run away.

The issue is highlighted because it warns that Real Madrid tombs enemies with a combination of talent and physical strength, which is a natural reflection of the characteristics of Cristiano Ronaldo. It is no coincidence, therefore, whether in the last half hour when the team sets its absolute supremacy.

Almeria is a good place to continue to measure the physical (and psychological) capacity of Real Madrid. For some reason, it may have to do with the running track that surrounds the field, the matches of this stage are to run a lot and play them well enough.

The visitor's advantage is that their host is physically in similar circumstances. Its victory on Wednesday against Deportivo (1-0 Cup) demanded the most and next Wednesday in Riazor, will again be required. Among the historical event (the first time Almeria plays quarter-cup) and the temptation to scratch at Real Madrid, Oltra does not know the best choice for team. He will recover in the league Diego Alves and Crusat.

At Real Madrid, Mourinho showed journalists the path. He said that Kaka could be a starter if not reset Özil (did not train yesterday), masked the absence of Lass of the list (looks bad) and threw a cable Morata, while with another choked Benzema ("lacks the mentality of the player who wants to score") And although this is not mentioned, he does not rule out also a rotation in the midfield to give input to Granero.

Springtime temperatures are expected (20°C) and a front of Almería willing to participate in the casting of nines that opened the Madrid (Uche). Will be a nice match.