Real Madrid News
Real Madrid veteran set to stay at club despite being tempted by Juventus proposal
Lucas Vazquez has morphed into a reliable option at right-back for Real Madrid over the years. The Spanish international currently serves as an able backup to Dani Carvajal and is a regular rotating member of Carlo Ancelotti’s squad.
Reports of the veteran’s departure this summer, needless to say, rattled the offices at the Santiago Bernabeu. Suddenly thrown into the deep end, they even joined the race to sign Benjamin Pavard as a stand-in backup for Carvajal.
According to reports from Jose Felix Diaz via MARCA, Juventus’ interest in Vazquez is real and the player is tempted by the proposal to move to Italy. However, it appears that he will stay at the club and continue to fight for minutes with Carvajal, at least for the coming season.
The 31-year-old is a graduate of Real Madrid’s academy and earned a promotion to the first team in 2015 after a successful loan spell at Espanyol.
He played as a winger in his initial days with the club, but it did not take him long to adapt to a new role after Zinedine Zidane deployed him at right-back. Since then, there has been no looking back for the 31-year-old.
In just 23 league appearances for Los Blancos last season, Vazquez scored four goals and provided one assist. Further, he averaged one key pass and five defensive actions per game.
The Spanish international’s decision to continue will help the club divert more funds towards positions of urgent need. After all, Ancelotti will have two able options at right-back for the upcoming campaign.
With both Vazquez and Carvajal on the wrong side of 30, however, signing a younger name soon is inevitable for the club. On that front, it remains to be seen if their pursuit of Pavard leads to anything concrete.
Real Madrid News
Bellingham on his special assist in Girona 0-3 Real Madrid: “Been watching Luka every day”
Real Madrid usurped the top spot in the La Liga standings from arch-rivals FC Barcelona as they defeated Girona 3-0 away at Estadi Montilivi.
It was a fine performance from Carlo Ancelotti’s men against Michel’s side, with the returning Jude Bellingham leading the way for his team.
After being benched against Las Palmas in midweek, the England international returned to the starting XI today and turned in yet another Man of the Match display for Real Madrid.
It all started with Joselu opening the scoring just 15 minutes into the game, with Bellingham assisting the goal with a special, outside-of-the-boot pass from the left side, bringing back memories of Luka Modric doing something similar a few years ago.
Talking about that special pass, Bellingham said: “I’ve been watching Luka every day for months. I just want to be creative. It took the pressure off us at the start.”
On the match and the result, the 20-year-old stated that it was a good day across the board for Real Madrid, as he said: “It was an important win. They were doing very well. We made a statement of intent to La Liga. Three goals, a clean sheet….”
It has been a truly remarkable start to life at Real Madrid for Bellingham and expressing how he feels to play for the Merengues, he exclaimed:
“I feel very good. I have freedom of movement and I’m enjoying football. Whenever I put on this shirt I always try to do my best.”
Apart from assisting Joselu’s opener, Bellingham also got his name on the scoresheet in the second period. Talking about his goal, the wonderkid said:
“It wasn’t a very good finish. I could have scored some more, but the important thing is the victory.”
The strike meant that Bellingham now has seven goals and two assists across all competitions for Real Madrid. Reflecting on his brilliant start, he said:
“It’s a good start, not bad. I would like to continue on this path and I won’t always score or assist, but I will always give my best.”
Bellingham’s celebration has been a huge hit, with kids in school, players from other clubs, and many others mimicking it. When asked how his special celebration originated, he replied:
“I don’t know where I first celebrated. I think it was with Birmingham. It’s an inspiration to see kids doing it in schools. It’s a wonderful thing.”
Source: AS
