Real Madrid News
Former Real Madrid director predicts Man City mainstay will join the club in future – ‘He would love it’
Former Real Madrid forward and sporting director, Predrag Mijatovic, recently expressed his strong belief that Erling Haaland, currently playing for Manchester City, will one day make a move to Real Madrid.
Speaking about the transfer market discussion, Mijatovic caught the attention with his confident prediction that Haaland has always wanted to play for the Spanish giants and will eventually join them.
“I think Haaland can play for Real Madrid. It’s going to happen,” he told El Chiringuito TV.
Mijatovic stated that Haaland has not publicly declared his desire to play for Real Madrid, but from a reliable source, he knows that the player would love to join the club.
His confidence in this statement left little room for doubt, and when pressed further, Mijatovic insisted that if the opportunity to join Real Madrid were to arise, Haaland would not hesitate.
“Haaland has not said it publicly but I know, from a reliable source, that he would love to be a Real Madrid player. I know it. Don’t ask me how… but yes.
“If you were to suggest to Haaland the possibility of coming to Real Madrid, I think he wouldn’t have any doubts,” he added.
On Bellingham’s send off
In addition to his comments on Haaland, Mijatovic also shared his thoughts on the controversial red card handed to Jude Bellingham against Osasuna.
He joined the ongoing discussion about the incident and provided his perspective on the situation. Mijatovic made a distinction between two common phrases in English, “f**k off” and “f**k you.”
“F**k off is not an insult. Fuck you is. Fuck off is an expression like… “f**k”.
Mijatovic believes that Bellingham’s red card was unjustified, arguing that the decision was harsh and that referees should be more tactful in their handling of such situations.
Despite the pressure on referees, he feels that in this instance, the decision was too severe for what happened.
“Bellingham did not deserve to be sent off. In this case, he did not. I think that the referees are under enormous pressure, but they should be a little more tactful in their comments and their anger. Bellingham’s sending off was a bit harsh, too harsh,” he noted.
Real Madrid’s adventure so far under new coach Jose Mourinho has been far from perfect and this fact shouldn’t be lost even after the team’s brilliant comeback win over AS Roma in midweek.
However, there are areas where Los Blancos have shown a clear improvement under Mourinho, when compared to previous bosses such as Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa.
One of those areas has been set plays, with Real Madrid appearing far more potent from set pieces this season.
A clear improvement from last season
As reported by Diario AS, the three goals in Rome, all from Arda Guler corners inside a seven-minute blitz, were the perfect advert for the work being done at Valdebebas.
Those strikes took Real Madrid’s set-piece tally to seven goals in just ten matches this season. Four of them have come in La Liga, one from a corner and three from free kicks, with the trio in Rome completing the haul.
It is a striking figure when set against last season’s return. Under Alonso and Arbeloa, Madrid managed 12 set-piece goals across the entire campaign, all in La Liga, split evenly between six from corners and six from free kicks.
On current trends, this side looks well placed to surpass that number comfortably.
The reason behind Real Madrid’s improvement
Attacking set pieces are led at Valdebebas by Pedro Machado, with the whole coaching staff involved and Mourinho himself giving the final green light on every routine.
Defending them, meanwhile, falls to Sami Khedira, though it is treated as a collective effort. Mourinho’s appreciation of that teamwork was clear when Bellingham headed in a Guler free kick against Espanyol, prompting the manager to leap up and embrace his assistants.
Machado, one of Mourinho’s most trusted lieutenants, has followed him from Fenerbahce to Benfica and now Madrid, part of a backroom team blending experience with young, ambitious talent.
On the pitch, Guler is the undisputed master when available, his left foot the key weapon, with Bernardo Silva, Trent Alexander-Arnold and even Diomande also trusted to initiate attacks.
Such meticulous strategy has helped Real Madrid turn into a potent side from set-pieces this season.
