Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas displayed his boredom with "Ronaldogate" in today's press conference as he sought to remind the media that there are other world-class players out there...
The official Real Madrid website recorded the goalkeeper as being respectful but somewhat dismissive of the Ronaldo transfer saga.
He said, "I have heard about the possible signing of Cristiano Ronaldo because he makes every single front page, but I know nothing on the situation... As a football fan I believe he is a great player. He's proved it every season at Manchester United and everybody wants him to sign for Real Madrid.
"But there are great players all over the place: Ibrahimovic at Inter, Gerrard at Liverpool, Lampard at Chelsea... They're all very good, but Cristiano happens to be the talk of the town these days."
One such great player linked with Madrid is David Villa of Valencia.
"I know Villa well. He is a very good friend of mine and anything that's good for him makes me happy. But this matter has nothing to do with me nor the squad. We want to have a team that's strong in three competitions and the Club and the coach should work towards that," he said.
"The squad's good vibes? We all have to help out, and winning helps us too because we're all better, prettier and happier. But a true team truly sticks out in rough times. We had both very good and terrible moments last year and the team pulled through by uniting and using all of its weaponry. There was a time when this side had many great and famous players that didn't bring much to the team and we won no titles, but that's behind us now. We will welcome any player that comes to add something."
New Season, New Goals
Casillas was an integral member of last year's runaway league-winning side, but this time around he's set his sights even higher.
"We had a good season last year and won the league. We didn't get Real Madrid as far as it deserves in Europe, so we know we have to take it a step further this year. It will be difficult to dominate in the league again this season, but we'll try," he said.
"We will also work harder to reach the semifinals in the Champions League in order to have a greater chance of playing in the final. We've been losing in the quarterfinals for a long time now and we all think we should reach further.
"Do we need new players for that? I don't know. We'll see as the season unfolds. Every other team has made reinforcements during the summer and we've recovered players who were on loan last year.
"Robinho? He's not as chirpy as usual, but I don't see anything wrong with him. A Real Madrid player is always prone to be affected by news and rumours. I've known him for three years and he's a great player. We are all delighted with him. We welcome everyone who's willing to help the team. If not, they can stay home."
Personal Achievements
Having won Euro 2008 with Spain, Casilas was asked to measure up whether or not plaudits with the national side meant more to him than Madrid honours.
"Which is better? I have to say it's a very different feeling," he mused.
"Winning a Euro with Spain isn't the same as winning a Champions League with Real Madrid. A Euro takes place every four years and a Champions League every season, and Spain hadn't won an international title in 44 years. The feeling was probably similar to the one felt by the Real Madrid players who won the Club's seventh European Cup. The Euro is one of the most important titles in my career.
"Ballon d'Or? A long time ago, I said I thought it is very hard to win the Ballon d'Or because everything is subjective. Several players deserved it in the past but never won, so I don't even think about it. All I'm interested in is doing a good job for Real Madrid and take the team to the very top, where it deserves to be."
The official Real Madrid website recorded the goalkeeper as being respectful but somewhat dismissive of the Ronaldo transfer saga.
He said, "I have heard about the possible signing of Cristiano Ronaldo because he makes every single front page, but I know nothing on the situation... As a football fan I believe he is a great player. He's proved it every season at Manchester United and everybody wants him to sign for Real Madrid.
"But there are great players all over the place: Ibrahimovic at Inter, Gerrard at Liverpool, Lampard at Chelsea... They're all very good, but Cristiano happens to be the talk of the town these days."
One such great player linked with Madrid is David Villa of Valencia.
"I know Villa well. He is a very good friend of mine and anything that's good for him makes me happy. But this matter has nothing to do with me nor the squad. We want to have a team that's strong in three competitions and the Club and the coach should work towards that," he said.
"The squad's good vibes? We all have to help out, and winning helps us too because we're all better, prettier and happier. But a true team truly sticks out in rough times. We had both very good and terrible moments last year and the team pulled through by uniting and using all of its weaponry. There was a time when this side had many great and famous players that didn't bring much to the team and we won no titles, but that's behind us now. We will welcome any player that comes to add something."
New Season, New Goals
Casillas was an integral member of last year's runaway league-winning side, but this time around he's set his sights even higher.
"We had a good season last year and won the league. We didn't get Real Madrid as far as it deserves in Europe, so we know we have to take it a step further this year. It will be difficult to dominate in the league again this season, but we'll try," he said.
"We will also work harder to reach the semifinals in the Champions League in order to have a greater chance of playing in the final. We've been losing in the quarterfinals for a long time now and we all think we should reach further.
"Do we need new players for that? I don't know. We'll see as the season unfolds. Every other team has made reinforcements during the summer and we've recovered players who were on loan last year.
"Robinho? He's not as chirpy as usual, but I don't see anything wrong with him. A Real Madrid player is always prone to be affected by news and rumours. I've known him for three years and he's a great player. We are all delighted with him. We welcome everyone who's willing to help the team. If not, they can stay home."
Personal Achievements
Having won Euro 2008 with Spain, Casilas was asked to measure up whether or not plaudits with the national side meant more to him than Madrid honours.
"Which is better? I have to say it's a very different feeling," he mused.
"Winning a Euro with Spain isn't the same as winning a Champions League with Real Madrid. A Euro takes place every four years and a Champions League every season, and Spain hadn't won an international title in 44 years. The feeling was probably similar to the one felt by the Real Madrid players who won the Club's seventh European Cup. The Euro is one of the most important titles in my career.
"Ballon d'Or? A long time ago, I said I thought it is very hard to win the Ballon d'Or because everything is subjective. Several players deserved it in the past but never won, so I don't even think about it. All I'm interested in is doing a good job for Real Madrid and take the team to the very top, where it deserves to be."
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