For years, Ronaldos Real Madrid debut seemed unlikely. For years, the club had underachieved and were locked in a losing domestic battle with Barcelona. In May, they watched with envy as Barcelona won the Champions League, and their sagging fortunes were further worsened by the election of Florentino Perez. Perez acted swiftly, signing Ronaldo from Juventus for a staggering fee of £80 million – twice breaking the world transfer record.
Real Madrid’s 5-0 win over Villarreal
It’s difficult to imagine Ronaldo’s first Real match as a teenager, but there were many high-profile debuts for the Portugal forward. In January 2008, he played against Atletico Madrid, and scored the winner, earning the club a 2-1 victory. In February, they lost 2-1 to Osasuna, but recovered to take back the lead and overtake Atletico. But a tragic event soon followed, as Antonio Puerta died just three days later. That season, the Santiago Bernabeu Trophy was cancelled in honour of the former Ajax midfielder.
Since then, Cristiano Ronaldo has become a mainstay at Real Madrid and a part of their history. He has scored over 200 goals in LaLiga and the Champions League, and is the all-time top scorer in Spain. His incredible goal-scoring record has been well-documented. His remarkable performance at the San Siro has earned him four Ballon d’Or awards, four LaLiga titles, and two European Super Cups.
The Portuguese superstar had just signed for Real after joining the club for PS80 million, which was a world record fee. The signing of Kaka and Ronaldo confirmed the expectations of the fans. On the day of his official unveiling, 80,000 supporters roared in anticipation. Ronaldo declared that he was fulfilling his boyhood dream by joining Real, and the fans’ reaction was extraordinary. The tumultuous beginning of Ronaldo’s career paved the way for his phenomenal success.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s hat-trick
Cristiano Ronaldo’s hat-treble in Real Madrid debut reduced the gap to top of the Primera Division to eight points after defeating Deportivo La Coruna. The Portuguese ace scored his 14th and 15th goals of the season to seal a 3-2 win on aggregate. The game ended in extra time and Ronaldo scored twice in the 105th and 100th minutes to complete his hat-trick. Marco Asensio added a fourth goal in the 111th minute to round off the scoring. Cristiano Ronaldo’s hat-trick made him the sixth player to score three goals in a single game in European competition.
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored seven hat-tricks in his career. The Portuguese has also scored in the Santiago Bernabeu, Old Trafford, and Sevilla. He has become the club’s top scorer on three occasions, twice in La Liga. Against Sevilla, he scored a hat-trick, becoming the first player to score a hat-trick in his Real Madrid debut.
After the 1-0 win over Getafe, Ronaldo scored his second hat-trick of the season. The hat-trick was his second consecutive international treble. His first was in a World Cup qualifier, while his second was in La Liga a year ago. After his second hat-trick, Ronaldo won the Ballon d’Or for 2014, and his five goals led Real Madrid to a convincing 9-0 win.
Mariano Garcia Remon
Former Real Madrid goalkeeper Mariano Garcia Remon has recalled the Portuguese superstar’s unlikely Real-Madrid debut. Remon was Real’s assistant manager from 2004-05, replacing Jose Antonio Camacho, who had resigned before the season began. Remon enjoyed a 60% win rate, but that wasn’t enough to convince the club’s board. While the club had plenty of talented players, Remon was sacked after a poor performance. In his place, Vanderlei Luxemburgo was appointed as his successor.
The keeper spent almost two decades at Real Madrid, helping the club win 12 trophies. He began his career with Rayo Vallecano’s youth team before joining the Real Madrid youth academy. With an instinctive and quick reflexes, Garcia Remon marshaled the defence and urged his team on from behind. His performances earned him a reputation abroad. He was nicknamed the Cat of Odessa after a memorable match.
The game against Dortmund had both goals disallowed, but the home team managed to win the game by a single goal with a late penalty from Zidane. The defending champions’ coach, Mariano Garcia Remon, remembers the moment with great fondness. The game was played on Three Kings Day, and the goal by Zidane in the 91st minute gave Madrid the victory.
Ramon Mendoza’s departure
The story behind Ramon Mendoza’s departure from the Spanish club is as fascinating as its history. In 1985, Mendoza was elected to the role of president of the club. However, the election was marred by a paranormal incident: a horse escaped from La Zarzuela and disappeared into the crowd! Nevertheless, the horse did return a few days later, and Mendoza officially took over the reins of the club two days after the UEFA Cup final.
The former Argentina international was a major contributor to Real Madrid’s success over the years. In the 1992 season, Mendoza’s team won their sixth European Cup. And the following season, they went on to win five consecutive LaLiga titles – a record still unmatched in the Spanish top tier. In addition to this, he made numerous controversies in the years that followed.
Real Madrid’s season of 1984-85 was not going well, and the club’s president, Luis de Carlos, was on the verge of calling for presidential elections. Ramon Mendoza, who had long been known to the public, wanted to replace Floro with a player with a proven record. He also tried to sign Fran from Deportivo La Coruna, but had to back out after agreeing to a fee. When the time came, Mendoza flew to Barcelona and attended the charity match. He was joined by Emilio Butragueno.
Ramon Mendoza’s replacement
With Cristiano Ronaldo struggling for form, Ramon Mendoza has become the club’s new vice-president. Mendoza was appointed president of the club on 24 May 1985 after being the only candidate in chairman elections. He had no competition in his second term, which started on 23 July 1988. In 1991, Mendoza was re-elected by a narrow margin, defeating Alfonso Ussia by over 20%. In 1994, he won a fourth term against Florentino Perez, a man who had been the president of the club since 1978.
After a turbulent time for Real Madrid, the club announced the dismissal of former captain Fabio Capello. The move brought offensive football back to the Bernabeu and Real Madrid won the title on 18 May 2008. They were awarded the highest points total in history, beating Barcelona’s previous record of 80 points. But despite the success of the club, they struggled to compete with Barcelona and Raul was publicly dissected by fans and media alike.
The result meant that Ramon Mendoza had a very difficult time attracting Madrid’s fans. The former Barcelona defender had been on the bench for more than a year, so the decision to hand him the reigns over the club was a shock. Regardless of the reasoning behind the decision, Ramon Mendoza’s unexpected Real Madrid debut has been a big disappointment. The club resorted to the controversial approach and is now looking to replace Mendoza with a new player.
Rafinha’s return to Real Madrid
The Brazilian international has been out of action for almost nine months, suffering from a knee injury. Although he has had the medical all-clear to train again, it’s unlikely that he’ll make the Real Madrid Clasico. Manager Ernesto Valverde has other injury concerns. Paco Alcacer is injured and will be out until January, and the Brazilian is unlikely to start against the La Liga leaders.
The Brazilian winger spent the last season on loan with Inter Milan, but the club refused to sign him on a permanent deal. Upon his return, he was rumoured to join Betis in a bid to play in Spain’s top flight. However, the Spanish club signed Giovani Lo Celso instead, and Rafinha’s return to Real Madrid could be imminent.
Inter Milan are also interested in signing Rafinha, but their interest has been tempered by their failure to sign Croatian midfielder Luka Modric. But if Inter are prepared to pay EUR40 million for the Brazilian, they may opt to sign him instead. However, the Brazilian may not have the desire to leave Barcelona. Nevertheless, he is an excellent choice to replace Luka Modric at Real Madrid.
The Italian club will want to make the deal permanent to bring Rafinha to the Premier League. The move will also free up a clause for Inter to match Rafinha’s new deal. However, it is highly unlikely that Rafinha will leave Inter this summer. The deal is still a long way off. In the meantime, Juventus are trying to sign a new right winger to replace Alexis Saelemaekers.
