Real Madrid News
Ancelotti talks Vinicius, Rodrygo, Valverde, Joao Felix after Atletico 1-2 Real Madrid
Real Madrid maintained their 100% winning start to the 2022/23 season as they secured a hard-fought 2-1 win over local rivals Atletico Madrid on Sunday night in La Liga.
In what was a feisty encounter at the Civitas Metropolitano with tempers flaring all over, Rodrygo Goes put Los Blancos ahead in the 18th minute with a fine strike before Federico Valverde doubled their lead after the half-hour mark.
Atletico Madrid rallied late in the game and pulled a goal back through Mario Hermoso, but could not level things and ended up facing yet another defeat.
The result elevates Real Madrid back to the top of the La Liga standings after Barcelona had overtaken them on Saturday.
While the result was another big step in the right direction for Los Merengues, manager Carlo Ancelotti said that the team needed to be more ruthless on the night.
“We could have scored more goals. We should have been more hungry to hurt them more in the second half,” Ancelotti said (h/t Diario AS).
“The result would have been greater if we had not calmed down in the second half after scoring the two goals. But I’m happy to win because the most important thing is to get the three points.”
On heading into the international break as league leaders, he said: “We started the season well and did what was required to the fullest. We achieved very positive results for us and controlled the derby from start to finish.”
Talking about the performance of the team, Ancelotti added: “Our players are great. Even without Benzema, we can continue to win and achieve positive results. Both goals were great. The way we build from the back and use the spaces was very good and we did it just right.”
“We have to win every game, with or without Karim, that is the standard here and after the international break, we will continue to win and with good results. I’m very happy but we should have been more efficient after the first half, even if we scored two goals.”
Shedding light on the team’s tactics, the Real Madrid boss said: “Our idea was to play vertically, but they progressed well and were constantly attacking and we lacked the desire to harm them more in the second half. But we achieved what we wanted and were in control of the game from the start.”
Explaining his decision to replace Ferland Mendy with Antonio Rudiger, the manager revealed that he did so to avoid the risk of a red card, given that the Frenchman was already on a yellow.
“I didn’t want to play with 10 players because Mendy had a yellow card and the game was charged and he could have had another card so I didn’t like to take the risk.”
On the vile racist chants directed at Vinicius outside and inside the stadium, Ancelotti said: “We dominated the Madrid derby from start to finish today. Racist chants didn’t stop us from winning.”
“We were able to compensate for Benzema well. The quality of the players here is very high. Rodrygo scored a beautiful goal tonight and continues to provide an outstanding performance with the team.”
The manager also hailed the two goalscorers on the night, saying: “Valverde and Rodrygo are two very special players. They represent the modern footballer, a mixture of both technical and physical. We are happy with them and will continue to count on them.”
On nullifying Joao Felix’s influence, Ancelotti said: “We defended really well and as a block close together. We wanted to stop Griezmann and Joao Felix because the danger was coming from their side.”
On his opponents, the Real Madrid manager added: “Atletico are a good team, they have a lot of quality. They started the match with great enthusiasm but their results lately are not good, but they will be in the league battle until the end.”
On Vinicius’ performance, Ancelotti said: “We won thanks to the second goal and he was the one who caused this goal. I am proud to be the coach of this team. I am happy to work with this group and I hope we can achieve more success together.”
On the title race with Barcelona: “Barcelona is doing very well, so are we, Atletico have lost to us. This season is very strange, we don’t know what could happen after the World Cup, what happened to Atletico could happen to us. It’s a more competitive league.”
Real Madrid and Inter Milan are two clubs where history carries an unusual amount of weight.
The white shirt of Real Madrid and the famous black-and-blue stripes of Inter have been worn by some of football’s greatest players, with both clubs demanding not only talent but the ability to handle enormous expectations.
Moving between the two is therefore no ordinary career decision.
The clubs operate in different football cultures, compete in different domestic environments and have their own tactical traditions, but the pressure attached to representing either institution is remarkably similar.
Despite that, a select group of players have experienced both worlds.
Some arrived at Real Madrid after making their name in Italy, while another made his reputation in Madrid before becoming a key figure in one of Inter’s greatest teams.
On that note, here are three footballers you might have forgotten who represented both Real Madrid and Inter Milan during their careers.
Roberto Carlos: From Inter disappointment to Real Madrid legend
Few players are as synonymous with Real Madrid as Roberto Carlos.
The Brazilian left-back became a cult hero at the Santiago Bernabeu, but his European journey took him to Italy before Madrid. In 1995, he joined Inter Milan and spent one season with the Nerazzurri.
It was a productive campaign on an individual level. Roberto Carlos made 34 appearances and scored seven goals, which is an extraordinary return for a defender and an early indication of the attacking qualities that would eventually make him one of the most recognisable full-backs in football.
His time in Milan, though, lasted only a season.
Real Madrid moved to sign him, and the transfer proved to be one of the most important pieces of business in the club’s modern history.
Roberto Carlos would spend 11 seasons in the Spanish capital and establish himself as one of the defining players of his generation.
Across his Madrid career, he made 584 appearances in all competitions and scored 71 goals.
During his time, the Brazilian won four La Liga titles and was part of the team that reached three Champions League finals in 1998, 2000 and 2002. Madrid won all three.
The 2002 final against Bayer Leverkusen produced one of the defining moments of that era.
Roberto Carlos delivered the cross that Zinedine Zidane spectacularly converted for the winning goal, securing another European crown for Madrid.
Fabio Cannavaro: A Ballon d’Or winner in Madrid
Fabio Cannavaro’s connection with both clubs is perhaps less widely remembered, particularly because the Italian defender’s reputation is strongly associated with his homeland and Real Madrid.
Cannavaro developed through Napoli and Parma before earning a move to Inter Milan in 2002.
The Nerazzurri reportedly paid around €23 million for the centre-back, handing him a four-year contract.
His start at Inter was encouraging, but the relationship eventually became complicated.
Cannavaro left the club in 2004 and joined Juventus, where he spent two seasons before another major move changed the course of his career.
In 2006, Real Madrid signed him from Juventus for a reported €7 million.
That same year, he captained Italy to World Cup glory and produced a series of outstanding performances during the tournament.
His achievements were recognised on an individual level too, as he won the 2006 Ballon d’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year award.
Cannavaro spent three seasons at Real Madrid and added domestic success to his already extraordinary year.
He won La Liga in both the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons, becoming an important defensive figure during Madrid’s successful campaigns.
His Inter career never reached the same heights, and Cannavaro himself has spoken critically about aspects of his experience there.
But his journey from Inter to Juventus and eventually Real Madrid produced one of the most decorated defensive careers of his generation.
Esteban Cambiasso: Madrid academy product turned Inter great
Esteban Cambiasso’s story is arguably the most interesting of the three because, unlike Roberto Carlos and Cannavaro, he began his connection with Real Madrid at youth level.
The Argentine midfielder joined Madrid’s academy at a young age alongside his brother Nicolas.
After returning to Argentina to gain regular first-team football with Independiente and River Plate, Cambiasso eventually returned to Madrid.
He became part of the first-team setup in 2002 and enjoyed a trophy-winning spell with the club.
Cambiasso won La Liga, the Intercontinental Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and the Spanish Super Cup during his time in Madrid.
Yet his stay in the Spanish capital ultimately came to an end when his contract expired in 2004 and the club decided against renewing it.
That decision opened the door to Inter, where he truly established himself as one of the finest midfielders of his generation.
He spent a decade with the Nerazzurri, becoming an important figure in one of the most successful periods in the club’s history.
Cambiasso won five league titles during his time at Inter and became particularly important in Jose Mourinho’s side.
In the 2009-10 season, Cambiaso’s Inter won the Champions League by defeating Bayern Munich in the final, completing a historic treble.
