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Bernabeu Bites 10.07.2013: Xabi Alonso's Renewal

Xabi Alonso's contract renewal, Uncle Florentino's thoughts on Madrid as world heritage institution, the striker-situation on a day when Marca's cover-story comes off as parody.

By J A Marsano
Jasper Juinen

  • The Curious Case of The Xabi Alonso Contract Renewal enters a new chapter today with Marca claiming talks are under-way only a few months after previously claiming that talks were under way. Whether we will be discussing, in a few months, talks that are supposedly underway is anyone's guess. Watch this space.

  • For those who can't watch Florentino Perez on Univision, details of the interview continue to drip out. Yesterday Madrid's Uncle Flo was convinced that Cristiano Ronaldo would sign a new contract. Today we learn it distresses him that people consider the club arrogant. "We believe we have inherited the history of a magnificent, spectacular brand of football. I'm ashamed that people think we are a bit arrogant; maybe we are, but for a club that has no owner." He also claims that the critical Bernabeu crowd's whistling has a special affectionate tone that only dogs and small children can hear ("if people don't like the line-up, they whistle, but they are affectionate whistles") and finished by calling Real Madrid a "World Heritage" institution.
  • In As, Manuel Salinero believes Madrid are going to make a big final pitch to get Liverpool's resident still-teething-toddler Luis Suarez, who will be on the naughty-step for a lengthy time-out until October if he comes because his FA ban carries over. It could be true, but at this point, it would probably be easier to just list the strikers in Europe the Spanish papers have not yet linked Madrid with to save time.
  • Meanwhile, the silence on the Pipita Higuain transfer to Arsenal is becoming deafening and in a not-entirely-unrelated story, Sky Sports notes that the same Luiz Suarez that As believes we are after even though Marca reports Florentino Perez wants Higuain to stay has been approached by Arsenal. There has been some nauseating flirting on Suarez's part. See the link for details.
  • Finally we have Marca's cover today claiming that Ancelotti will "set players straight on privileges" which is brilliantly stirring, Steven Spielberg's main character about-to-march-into-battle-and-make-over-the-top-pronouncements stuff, until you realize the article is entirely innocent of quotation marks. Truth or fiction? Take your pick.

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