Karembeu speaks on his “idol” Redondo

Former Real Madrid midfielder Christian Karembeu recently spoke to France Football (via MARCA) about his admiration for fellow Madrid teammate Fernando Redondo.

“Redondo was always my idol when I used to watch him play and he ended up being my teammate.”

“I just think about that goal against Manchester United, watching from the sidelines as he did that incredible back heel to get past the defender.”

“He had it all. His appearance and the way he dressed, a slick guy on and off the pitch. My mentor at Nantes was Jorge Burruchaga, and he was two-footed and a great dribbler, but Redondo had everything.”

“When I arrived at Madrid, I told him that I was really happy to be playing with him, because I admired him so much as a player and we were both embarking on the same adventure.”

Karembeu and Redondo played about three seasons together at the Bernabéu. Redondo was a technical and composed presence in midfield and arguably one of the best defensive midfielders both football and Real Madrid has ever seen. He brought a creative skill to the position that still isn’t often seen.

Karembeu of course was speaking of Redondo’s brilliant back heel pass to Raúl at Old Trafford in the 2000 Champions League Quarter Final. The effort that Redondo gave to get a pass like that off so close to the goal line shows how special he truly was. Truly an all-time club great.

Gelabert reportedly wanted by Arsenal

According to a recent report from Diario AS, Mikel Arteta and Arsenal are after Castilla’s 19-year-old midfielder César Gelabert.

The report says that Arsenal believe he can fit the Premier League football style and falls in line with their recent efforts of getting young talent. AS also report that there have been several other teams that are interested.

AS state that Zidane’s intentions are to renew Gelabert’s contract, which expires in 2021. They say he is “real insurance for the future.”

These rumors have been kicking up the past couple of weeks. Arsenal have been the main, but there was also one about a possible loan spell at Zaragoza. Gelabert has started to turn heads and looks to be another Castilla product put into European football if any of these reports hold true.

If any movement happens, it would more likely be a loan out following the methods taken with other young talent such as Kubo and Ødegaard. I can’t imagine they would already sell Gelabert if they truly see something special in him.

Hazard sits down for UEFA Q&A session

Eden Hazard recently sat down with UEFA.com where he spoke on a variety of different topics including Real Madrid, club memories and the Champions League. He gave one answer about what goals he has sat for himself at his new club and if he goes in with a fixed mindset.

“I’ve always worked on the basis of just working it out on the pitch. I’m not going to start saying “I have to do X, Y or Z.” Of course, when you’re at a club like this, you need to win and you have to score. But, for me, I’ve always behaved in the same way and that’s what I’ll still try to do.”

“I try to enjoy myself as much as possible on the pitch and I know that if I enjoy myself out on the pitch, the results will follow. So, at this great club, I want to try to get people to see me more, to win matches, to score goals. It’s a little bit like what I did at Chelsea, but doing it all over again at Real and going one better if that’s possible.”

This is just one excerpt from the interview that gets into the mentality of a world class player like Eden Hazard. He’s obviously had a rough season dealing with injuries and the criticism of coming into the season unfit, but hopefully he can put that behind him as he recovers.

The whole Q&A is worth a read to get a brief look at who Eden Hazard is. Hazard speaks about some of his fond memories of Real Madrid watching them and some of the club’s greatest players. He also talks about his presentation to the Bernabéu last summer and his time at Chelsea.