28.07.2012 » Ronaldo returned from holidays and traveled with the team to the US
As promised, Cristiano Ronaldo and the rest of the Portuguese and Spanish international players that have competed in the last June's EURO 2012, have returned from vacations this Saturday and will now start preparing the new 2012/13 season. Real Madrid traveled to the United States this Saturday morning (Spanish time) and are expected to land in California during this afternoon (local time). During this American tour, the Merengues will face the LA Galaxy on the 2nd of August (Thursday), Santos Laguna on the 5th (Saturday), AC Milan on the 8th (Tuesday) and finally, Celtic on the 11th (Friday).
Cristiano Ronaldo - Ready for 2012-2013:
The wait is finally over, as Cristiano Ronaldo returned from holidays and is back to work with Real Madrid. After roughly 1 month of vacations, the Portuguese star met the rest of the team in Valdebebas, Madrid, just moments before the squad took a flight with destination set to California, United States. This is actually the third year in a row that the Merengues decide to spend their pre-season in the United States and after being crowned Spanish champions over the last league campaign, the excitement and expectations around the team will naturally be very high. The club will take four friendly matches, all part of the World Football Challenge competition that takes place every Summer in the United States.
Real Madrid has picked the UCLA camp as their training ground for the first days they will be staying in the United States and unlike what happened in previous years, this time the club will allow their American fans to actually watch a training session. However, the opportunity to watch Real Madrid training in the United States won't come for free and as MARCA.com reported a few days ago, prices can range from 85 dollars to 382 dollars. This "open" training session is scheduled for the 4th of August. Those willing and capable to pay the most expensive tickets, will not only be granted with the chance to watch Cristiano Ronaldo and company training, but also take photos and get a few signed autographs by the Merengues stars. Most of the money earned from these tickets sales will be donated to the Children United USA and the LA Galaxy Foundation.
José Mourinho will be bringing a squad of 25 players for this United States 2012/2013 pre-season tour, even though some of those players still have their future at the club quite uncertain at this stage. The likes of Kaká or Nuri Sahin are good examples that stand out from the rest on this matter, especially after several reports published earlier this week, indicating that Real Madrid is looking for clubs who could be interested in taking them.
In the meanwhile, here's the full Real Madrid roster that will be training in the United States 2012/13 pre-season tour, over the next weeks:
Real Madrid: United States 2012/2013 pre-season tour roster |
|
Player |
Position |
Iker Casillas |
Goalkeeper |
Adán |
Goalkeeper |
Jesús |
Goalkeeper |
Arbeloa |
Defender |
Sergio Ramos |
Defender |
Raúl Albiol |
Defender |
Pepe |
Defender |
Varane |
Defender |
Fábio Coentrão |
Defender |
Nacho |
Defender |
Xabi Alonso |
Midfielder |
Khedira |
Midfielder |
Nuri Sahin |
Midfielder |
Callejón |
Midfielder |
Granero |
Midfielder |
Mesut Ozil |
Midfielder |
Lass Diarra |
Midfielder |
Kaká |
Midfielder |
Di María |
Midfielder |
Álex |
Midfielder |
Jesé |
Midfielder |
Cristiano Ronaldo |
Forward |
Karim Benzema |
Forward |
Gonzalo Higuaín |
Forward |
Alvaro Morata |
Forward |
Real Madrid began pre-season trainings on the 16th of July. Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to join his teammates later this month, on the 28th of July. Ronaldo missed the first two pre-season games, but should be available for the LA Galaxy vs Real Madrid game, which you can watch from our football live streams section. In the meanwhile, you can also watch Raja Casablanca vs Barcelona, Chelsea vs Milan and the Tottenham vs Liverpool.
Sources: ronaldo7.net / realmadrid.com / marca.com
