Real Madrid officially
kicks off their 2012/2013 La Liga campaign this Sunday, playing against
Valencia for the eighth time in history.
Historically, los Blancos have
won five out of seven meetings. Would
the number be upped to six or would it remain at five? Madridistas worldwide have waited 99 long
days – not that I was keeping track or anything – for the start of the La
Liga. And what way to kick off their
campaign than up against the formidable opponent that is Valencia, a team that
finished behind FC Barcelona last season!
In other Real Madrid
news, Luka Modric has been the subject of discussion this summer transfer
season. The 26-year-old Tottenham
midfielder flew to Madrid after his appearance for Croatia in its friendly
against Switzerland to finalize the deal.
However, neither club has made an official statement, confirming the
move. Croatian head coach Igor
Stimac believes that the deal with los
Blancos is a sure thing.
Stimac expressed his
disappointment with Tottenham's reluctance to play the midfielder to AS.com.
"I do not like the situation that he is in at all. He has not played any matches at all this summer. He will end up signing for Madrid before the market shuts."
The Spanish transfer
window closes on August 31st.
Within the topic of
summer transfers, Nuri Sahin appears to be on his way out of Real Madrid. The German international has been rumored to
complete a loan move to the Premier League, with clubs such as Arsenal,
Tottenham, and Liverpool.
Kaká also has been the
subject of rumors of club departures, as his jersey mysteriously
disappeared off of shelves at Madrid's tienda for a while. Many speculated that he would move to his
former club, AC Milan. According to
sources, RM president Florentino Perez met with Milan's CEO to discuss Kaká's potential
transfer. The Italian club has not made
it a secret of their desires to re-sign the midfielder. However, Madrid recently released shirt
numbers for the upcoming season and, much to my relief, Kaká remains at No.8. Though, I will not be assured of anything
until I see the Brasilian playing a game or two or twelve...
All this talk of leaving
has me feeling depressed. In some
lighter news, Gonzalo "Pipita" Higuaín is in talks with the club over
contract extension until 2018. The 24-year-old
has a contract that will run out 2016, but it seems he wants to stay for a bit
longer. Last season was riddled with
uncertainty as to whether or not the Argentine striker would remain with los Blancos. I recall the echoes of "Pipita, quédate" rumbling throughout the Bernabéu. Those echoes are now a distant memory,
fading. According to Goal.com, Pipita currently makes a
salary of 3.8 million euros annually, but is in line for a raise to 4.5 million
as a reward for his good performances during the 2011/2012 campaign.
Again, Real Madrid's La
Liga season kicks off this Sunday against Valencia, August 19th. Until then, ¡Hala Madrid!
written by Gail Hidalgo
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