Karim Benzema's interview with Marca

Karim Benzema discussed his first few weeks as a Madridista with sports newspaper Marca.

When and how did you become so passionate about Real Madrid?
When I was about 14 or 15 years old. I live in a neighborhood that loved Real Madrid. My friends and family admired the team.

What is the your oldest memory of Real Madrid?
The first match I saw was the final of the seventh European Cup and Pedja's goal. I was 12 and I will never forget that day. It was such a great team.

What was Florentino Perez's visit like? What crossed your mind when you saw him walk in?
He is a gentleman and I appreciated the gesture. He has done everything for Real Madrid. He has brought in the best players and I was honored that he included me. Florentino would have done anything for me to sign for Real Madrid and I will always be grateful. So the fact that he came to my house surprised me at first and made me very happy.

How did he convince you to sign for Real Madrid?
It was easy because my heart was already set on Madrid. He also speaks very good French and we understood each other immediately.

How did you feel on the day of your unveiling?
I had never seen anything like it ever. It was also the first time I joined a new team, but it was very special.

Between that day, your debut in Ireland and your debut in the Bernabeu, which would you prefer to relive?
The presentation, without a doubt.

Kaka first training pictures with Cristiano Ronaldo (Photo Gallery)

Real Madrid new transfer Ricardo Kaka has joined the team at the last training session after his holiday.Here are the photos of Ricardo Kaka training with Cristiano Ronaldo and other Real Madrid players.

Real Madrid 4 - 2 Liga de Quito [Peace Cup] Ronaldo scored his first goal (Photo Gallery and Highlights Video)

Real Madrid needed a victory to reach the Peace Cups semifinals and they got one thanks to playing spectacular football in the second half and scoring through Cristiano Ronaldo, Esteban Granero, Christoph Metzelder and Alvaro Negredo. Juventus await the Whites in Seville.

New faces on the starting lineup tonight were Salgado, Pepe, Marcelo, Guti, Robben and Higuain. The Whites' intention from the start was to keep possession as much as possible.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first goal from a penalty kick.and after the match he said:"I am very happy to have scored my first goal for Real Madrid. It isn't always possible to do those plays because opponents don't let you. One objective is crossed off the list, but all that matters is getting in form, taking one match at a time and improving."

"The coach is running tests and we must respect his work. We are just starting off and need to stay calm. This isn't very important. Winning is important, but even more important is reaching peak form."

"The match against Juventus is good preparation for La Liga. We are all getting to know one another on the team."

Real Madrid 1-1 El Ittihad Cristiano Ronaldo and Benzema's first match at Santiago Bernabeu (Photo Gallery and Video)

Real Madrid 1-1 Al Ittihad

The Santiago Bernabeu Stadium greeted the new Real Madrid. Manuel Pellegrini, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Garay and Esteban Granero made their debut at the White Colosseum. Al Ittihad pulled no punches because they risked being eliminated of the Peace Cup with a defeat after their 3-1 loss to Liga Quito. Raul and Hicham scored for both sides.

Metzelder and Garay formed the centre of the defence, flanked by Drenthe and Miguel Torres. The rest of the lineup was the same that faced Shamrock Rovers in the first half. The first dangerous play from the Whites came from the Lass-Benzema connection. The midfielder saw Sneijder was alone and served him the ball. The Dutchman shot on target, putting keeper Zaid's reflexes to the test (14'). Cristiano Ronaldo also had a go in the next venture in attack, but his ball strayed off course and a corner kick was awarded.

Real Madrid dominated throughout the match, but the Saudi defence formed an impenetrable wall that tarnished their finishing touches. Benzema tried to score from a corner kick by Sneijder on the 23-minute mark, but the keeper again saved the day. Two minutes later, Raul forced the goalie to make another stretch with a terrific shot from outside the box. Ronaldo managed to dribble past defenders down the right wing in the final minutes of the first half, but one of his great crosses found no striker (41'). Benzema and Cristiano triangulated the ball twice and the Portuguese star forced Zaid to make a save on the goal-line.

Agus came on for Garay at the start of the second half. Pellegrini's men kept looking for an opener and soon found it when Benzema served an assist to Raul, who defeated Zaid after turning on the ball inside the box (9'). The Saudi team never gave up and netted the equaliser through Hicham, who finished off Saleh's corner kick with a header (17').

Esteban Granero made his debut and played alongside Guti and Lass in midfield. The new signing had the best chance on goal when his powerful 30-metre shot hit the crossbar on the 77-minute mark. Real Madrid kept having chances through Robben (79') and Raul (82'), but Zaid proved to be unbeatable.

After the match Pellegrini said:"The changes I made today were planned. I didn't want Cristiano Ronaldo or Benzema to play more than a hour ... I'm happy because these are offseason matches. At the moment, I see good and bad things about the team and of course things which need improving."

Rio Ferdinand:Cristiano Ronaldo is right to follow his Real Madrid Dream

Ferdinand says:"I don't think any of the lads are bitter or should be bitter towards Ronnie,"

"You have to look at it this way - he came here as a young lad and gave six years of his career to this club.

Bearing in mind careers average out between 10-12 years, he's given half his career to United, and I think you have to respect that.

"You can't put a shadow over someone's dream. Since he was a kid he's wanted to play for Real Madrid.

"Playing for United is the holy grail for some people and it's those people who probably don't understand why he wants to go somewhere else that - for him - equals that holy grail.

"He'll always have a great affinity with the players here and I'm sure in the longterm the fans will see he was a great servant to the club."

Real Madrid is going to America for friendlies

Real Madrid is going to play two friendlies against Toronto Fc on 07 of August,and against DC United on 09 of August.

Friday 07 August

Stadium:BMO Field

Toronto FC
Real Madrid

Sunday 09 August

Stadium:FedEx Field

DC United
Real Madrid

Player Profile : Ricardo Kaka with Pictorial

Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (Portuguese pronunciation: [xiˈkaɾdʊ iˈzɛksõ dʊsˈsɐ̃tʊs ˈleɪ̯tʃɪ], born 22 April 1982), commonly known as Kaká, is a Brazilian football midfielder who plays for Real Madrid and the Brazilian national team. He is widely considered as one of the best footballers of his generation, often drawing comparisons in style and ability to other great footballers as Michel Platini, Sócrates, Zico, and Pelé. His footballing style is one of a kind as he has the technique of a Brazilian and the physical qualities of a European.
He is the standard-bearer of the modern game.

Kaká started his footballing career at the age of 8 when he began playing for a local club called "Alphaville". By then he also played Tennis, and it wasn`t until he moved on to Sao Paolo FC, and signed his first professional contract at the age of fifteen that it came by that he had chosen football.

He was the recipient of both the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards in 2007. Besides his contributions on the pitch Kaká is also famous for his humanitarian works, and work against poverty. In 2004, By the time of his appointment he became the youngest Ambassador of UNICEF food program. Having coming back from an almost paralyzing accident in 2001 at the age of eighteen, Kaká attributes his recovery to God.

Early life

Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite was born in Brasília to Simone Cristina Santos Leite and Bosco Izecson Pereira Leite (a civil engineer). He had a financially-secure upbringing that allowed him to focus on both school and football at the same time.His younger brother, Rodrigo (known as Digão), is also a professional footballer.

When he was seven, his family moved to São Paulo. His school had arranged him in a local youth club called "Alphaville," who qualified to the final in a local tournament. There he was discovered by hometown club São Paulo FC, who offered an assignment.

At the age of eighteen, Kaká suffered a career-threatening and possibly paralysis-inducing spinal fracture as a result of a swimming pool accident, but remarkably made a full recovery. He attributes his recovery to God and has since tithed his income to his church.

Club career

São Paulo

Kaká began his career with grassroots club São Paulo at the age of eight. He signed a contract at 15 and led the São Paulo youth squad to Copa de Juvenil glory. Kaká made his senior side debut in January 2001 and scored 12 goals in 27 appearances, in addition to leading São Paulo to its first and only Torneio Rio-São Paulo championship where he scored two goals in two minutes in his first team debut as a substitute against Botafogo in the final which Sao Paolo won with 2–1. He scored 10 goals in 22 matches the following season, and by this time his performance was soon attracting attention from European clubs. Kaká made a total of 58 appearances for São Paulo, scoring 23 times.

Milan

The steady European interest in Kaká culminated in his signing with Italian club Milan in 2003 for a fee of €8.5 million, described in retrospect as "peanuts" by club owner Silvio Berlusconi. Within a month, he cracked the starting lineup, and his Serie A debut was in a 2–0 win over Ancona. He scored 10 goals in 30 appearances that season, as Milan won the Sc

udetto and the UEFA Super Cup. Kaká also finished his first season with an average mark of 7.69 per game, ahead of Golden ball winner , Pavel Nedvěd, with 7.30. In comparison to other great playmakers of world football recorded considerably lower ratings during their debut seasons, such as Diego Maradona (6.93), Falcão (6.79), Zico (6.74) and Michel Platini (6.48).

Kaká was a part of the five-man midfield in the 2004–05 season, usually playing in a withdrawn role behind striker Andriy Shevchenko. He scored seven goals in 36 domestic appearances as Milan finished runner-up in the Scudetto race. Despite Milan losing the 2004–05 Champions League final to Liverpool on penalties, he was nonetheless voted the best midfielder of the tournament.

2005–06 saw Kaká score his first hat-tricks in domestic competition. On 9 April 2006, he scored his first Rossoneri hat-trick against Chievo; all three goals were scored in the second half. The following season, he scored his first Champions League hat-trick in a 4–1 group stage win over the Belgian side Anderlecht.

Shevchenko's departure to Chelsea for the 2006–07 season allowed Kaká to become the focal point of Milan's offense as he alternated between the midfield and striker positions. He finished as the top scorer in the 2006–07 Champions League campaign with ten goals. One of them helped the Rossoneri eliminate Celtic in the quarterfinals on a 1–0 aggregate, and three others proved fatal for Manchester United in the semifinals, despite Milan losing the first leg.

Kaká added the Champions League title to his trophy case for the first time when Milan defeated Liverpool on May 23, 2007. Though he went scoreless, he won a free kick that led to the first of Filippo Inzaghi's two goals, and provided the assist for the second. For his stellar play throughout the competition, he was voted the Vodafone Fans' Player of the Season in a poll of over 100,000 UEFA.com visitors. On 30 August, Kaká was named by UEFA as both the top forward of the 2006–07 Champions League season and UEFA Club Footballer of the Year.

He played his 200th career match with Milan in a 1–1 home draw with Catania on 30 September, and on 5 October, he was named the 2006–07 FIFPro World Player of the Year. On 2 December 2007, Kaká became the eighth Milan player to win the Ballon d'Or, as he finished with a decisive 444 votes, long ahead of runner-up Cristiano Ronaldo. He signed a contract extension through 2013 with Milan on February 29, 2008.

Due to his contributions on and off the pitch, Time magazine named Kaká in the Time 100, a list of the world's 100 most influential people, on 2 May. On 14 October, he cast his footprints into the Estádio do Maracanã's sidewalk of fame, in a section dedicated to the memory of the country's top players. He won the honor again in 2009.

BBC reported on 13 January 2009 that Manchester City made a bid for Kaká for over £100 million. Milandirector Umberto Gandini replied that Milan would only discuss the matter if Kaká and Manchester City agreed to personal terms. Kaká initially responded by telling reporters he wanted to "grow old" at Milan and dreamed of captaining the club one day, but later said, “If Milan want to sell me, I’ll sit down and talk. I can say that as long as the club don’t want to sell me, I’ll definitely stay.” On 19 January, Berlusconi announced that Manchester City had officially ended their bid after a discussion between the clubs, and that Kaká would remain with Milan.Milan supporters had protested outside the club headquarters earlier that evening, and later chanted outside Kaká's home, where he saluted them by flashing his jersey outside a window.

Real Madrid

On 3 June 2009, Football Italia reported that newly-elected Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez had offered Milan a ₤68.5 million deal for Kaká, two days after the player had left for international duty with Brazil. Milan vice president Adriano Galliani did not deny the reports, and confirmed that he and Kaká's father, Bosco Leite, had traveled to Mexico to meet with La Volpe. "We had lunch and spoke about Kaká. I don't deny it. Negotiations exist, but a deal has yet to be done." On 4 June, Galliani told Gazzetta dello Sport that financial reasons were his motive for the talks with La Volpe. "We cannot allow [AC Milan] to lose €70m [...] The reasons behind Kaká's departure would be economic." On 8 June, A.C. Milan and Real Madrid confirmed Kaká has moved to the Bernabeu on a six-year deal.

International career

Kaká was called up for the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship but the Brazilians crashed out to Ghana at the quarterfinals. Several months later, he made his debut for Brazil in a friendly match against Bolivia on January 31, 2002. He was part of the 2002 FIFA World Cup-winning squad, but played only 25 minutes, all of which were in the first round match against Costa Rica.

In 2003, Kaká was the captain for the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament, where Brazil, competing as with their Under-23 team, finished as runner-up to Mexico. He scored three goals during the tournament. He was included in Brazil's squad for 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup in Germany He appeared in all five matches and scored one goal in a 4–1 win over Argentina in the final.

Kaká started in his first FIFA World Cup finals in 2006 and scored his first and only goal of the tournament in Brazil's 1–0 victory over Croatia in Brazil's opener, for which he was named Man of the Match. He was unable to keep up the momentum for the remainder of the tournament, as Brazil was eliminated by France in the quarterfinals. In a friendly against rivals Argentina on September 3, 2006, after entering as a substitute, he received the ball off a deflection from an Argentina corner kick and outran Lionel Messi while taking the ball down three quarters of the field to score.

On May 12, 2007, citing an exhaustive schedule of Serie A, Champions League and national team play, Kaká bowed out of the 2007 Copa América, which Brazil won.After missing out on the Copa América, he returned to play in Brazil's friendly match against Algeria o

n August 22, 2007.

Kaká participated in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, marking his first international

tournament since the 2006 World Cup. His only two goals came in Brazil's group stage opener against Egypt on June 14, when he scored a goal in the fifth minute and then added a 90th-minute penalty in Brazil's 4–3 victory.He received the Golden Ball and was named the Player of the Tournament at the Confederations Cup after helping Brazil to a 3-2 win in the final against USA.

Personal life

A devout evangelical Christian, Kaká became engrossed in religion at the age of twelve: "I learnt that it is faith that decides whether something will happen or not." He removed his jersey to reveal an "I Belong to Jesus" T-shirt and openly engaged in prayer moments after the final whistle of Brazil's 2002 World Cup, and Milan's 2004 Scudetto and 2007 Champions League triumphs. He also had the same phrase, along with "God Is Faithful," stitched onto the tongues of his boots.During the postmatch celebration following Brazil's 4–1 win over Argentina in the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup final, he and several of his teammates wore T-shirts that read "Jesus Loves You" in various languages.

Kaká is a member of the organization Atletas de Cristo ("Athletes of Christ"). His goal celebration consists of him pointing to the sky as a gesture of thanks to God. Kaká's favourite music is gospel, and his favourite book is the Bible. Since November 2004, he has served as an Ambassador Against Hunger for the United Nations' World Food Programme, the youngest to do so at the time of his appointment.

Kaká was sworn in as an Italian citizen on 12 February 2007. He features prominently in Adidas advertising and also has a modeling contract with Armani, the latter preventing him from appearing in a photo collection alongside his Milan teammates that was published by Dolce & Gabbana in early 2007.

He married his childhood sweetheart Caroline Celico on 23 December 2005 at the evangelical Reborn in Christ Church in São Paulo. Their first child, Luca Celico Leite, was born in São Paulo on June 10, 2008.

Raí, the former Seleçao and São Paulo captain, has always been the idol of Kaká. Kaká's best friend is Chivas USA midfielder and fellow Brazilian Marcelo Saragosa. They both served as best man at the other's wedding

Nickname

His nickname is pronounced as it is spelled, with stress on the second syllable, and is a common term of endearment of "Ricardo" in Brazil. In Kaká's case, it was born from younger brother Rodrigo calling him "Cacá" due to his inability to pronounce "Ricardo" when they were young; it eventually evolved into Kaká.

Honours

São Paulo

• Copa São Paulo de Juniores: 2000
• Torneio Rio-São Paulo: 2001
• Supercampeonato Paulista: 2002

Milan

• Serie A: 2003–04
• Italian Super Cup: 2003-04
• UEFA Champions League: 2006-07
• UEFA Super Cup: 2003-04, 2007-08
• FIFA Club World Cup: 2007-08

International

• FIFA World Cup: 2002
• FIFA Confederations Cup: 2005, 2009

Individual

• Revista Placar Bola de Ouro: 2002
• Campeonato Brasileiro Bola de Prata (best player by position): 2002
• CONCACAF Gold Cup Best XI: 2003
• Serie A Best new player: 2003
• Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year: 2004, 2006, 2007
• Serie A Footballer of the Year: 2004, 2007
• UEFA Champions League Bronze Top scorer: 2005-06
• UEFA Champions League Best Midfielder: 2005
• UEFA Team of the Year: 2006, 2007
• FIFPro World XI: 2006, 2007, 2008
• Pallone d'Argento: 2006-07
• UEFA Champions League Top Scorer: 2006–07
• UEFA Champions League Best Forward: 2006–07
• UEFA Club Footballer of the Year: 2006-07
• FIFPro World Player of the Year: 2007
• Ballon d'Or: 2007
• FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball: 2007
• Toyota Award: 2007
• FIFA World Player of the Year: 2007
• Onze d'Or: 2007
• IFFHS World‘s Best Playmaker: 2007
• IAAF Latin Sportsman of the Year: 2007
• Time 100: 2008, 2009
• Maracanã Hall Of Fame: 2008
• Samba d'Or: 2008
• FIFA Team of the Year: 2008
• FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Ball: 2009
• FIFA Confederations Cup Best XI: 2009