Real Madrid News
Barcelona president-elect Laporta attacks Real Madrid: ‘They have links with presidents of referees’ committees’
Relations between Barcelona and Real Madrid hit rock bottom towards the end of Joan Laporta’s last presidency term, and rightly so given the Negreira scandal and all it did to the perception of Spanish football.
Florentino Perez and Co. took a clear stance against Barcelona on that front, even being directly involved in the investigation to get to the root of the problem.
Meanwhile, Laporta’s presidential term came to an end and Barcelona headed into fresh elections. The former president has now been re-elected to the post and he has returned with the same feeling of vengeance towards Real Madrid that he left his last term with.
Laporta lashes out at Real Madrid
The newly re-elected Barcelona president spoke to the media (h/t AS) where he opened up on the club’s relations with Real Madrid, especially given the ongoing tensions over the Negreira scandal.
“It’s been a long time (they don’t talk). Since their appearance in the Negreira case, the relationship has deteriorated,” he began.
Elaborating on the club’s decision to leave the Super League, a move that left Real Madrid alone in the project, Laporta said,
“We decided to leave the Super League due to a lack of object: it was not materializing, and we had already told them.”
“In addition, UEFA was taking measures to improve the sustainability of football in Europe,” he added.
Speaking on Real Madrid and the stories of them being favoured by referees, Laporta did not mince his words, saying,
“I have always had the feeling that we should be very superior, because the referees do not favour us. Here it seems that they always help Madrid. They have ‘Barcelona-itis’, it’s evident.”
Elaborating on the Negreira scandal and how he was sure it was all a fabricated claim, he added,
“Now they criticize that we hired someone who had been vice president, while they have had presidents of the referees’ committee linked to Madrid.”
Real Madrid News
English legend backs Real Madrid star to become one of the all-time greats: ‘He’s got everything’
Jude Bellingham has spent the past fortnight as the most talked-about footballer in England, and the superlatives show no sign of slowing down.
A masterclass in the Nations League, a clutch of records and a second straight Player of the Year award has not gone unnoticed in English footballing media.
Now one of the English game’s most respected voices has added his name to the growing list of believers.
Lineker backs Bellingham
Asked whether Bellingham can go on to become one of the greatest players of all time, England legend Gary Lineker left no room for doubt.
“Yes, I’ve been saying it for a long time now. If he avoids serious injury or falls of the rails which he won’t I’m sure.
“He’s so good at football, he’s got everything. He’s a superstar and carries himself like a superstar,” he said (h/t Track Radio).
The verdict chimes comes in the midst of a wider chorus of acclaim in recent days. Roy Keane tipped him to become one of the greatest of all time after the Croatia rout, with Ian Wright and Micah Richards among others queuing up to praise him.
Backed by the numbers
The acclaim for Bellingham comes on the back of an extraordinary international break for Bellingham.
Against Croatia, Bellingham scored one and created three in the 7-0 win, becoming the first England player to record four goal involvements in a single game since David Platt in 1993.
He finished the window with one goal and four assists and was named UEFA’s Player of the Round.
That international excellence has carried over to the Bernabeu, where he has settled into a free number 10 role under Jose Mourinho and sits as the club’s joint-leading creator.
Bellingham was part of Real Madrid’s recent 1-0 win over Villarreal as well, and was unlucky not to register an assist when Vinicius Jr.’s goal was disallowed.
The Englishman will be looking to make an impact once again when Real Madrid take on AS Roma this Wednesday.
