Red, gorgeous and aggressive-BMW FC Barcelona concept

Well, that is definitely not a car you’d be used to see when thinking of BMW. Or at least not something too close to what we’ve been getting from the Bavarian carmaker. But from time to time each renowned carmaker comes with a model that leaves us in awe and astonishment. Or car designers use their creativity and preferences to create a one-of-a-kind model. And this car we have here is surely one such car.

Being a cocktail of aggressiveness and style, the reddie we see in the picture is a car concept for FC Barcelona as one can very well see. Why would a car designer create a car concept for a football team? Well, it’s quite simple. One takes one’s two main interests and puts them together and this is how this car got to be what the picture shows.

The aggressive look stands for the success the football team has had as well as for the hard work and ambition of the players. Still, beyond aggressiveness, there’s what BMW always offered, style and otherness. And taking into account the power and performance BMW has gotten us used to, it’s no wonder there’s a car concept for this football team. It’s like the car is the expression of what the FC Barcelona is doing in the field.

We have no details about the output of the car but it’s definitely one to match the look of the vehicle. You can’t get little from a car with such an appearance. Plus, think of the reason why this car was created: to represent FC Barcelona. You can only represent power with power!

Illarramendi “very happy” on arrival in Madrid

Asier Illarramendi has arrived in the Spanish capital. The plane carrying Real Madrid’s new signing touched down at 10:45 CEST.

Asier Illarramendi has arrived in Madrid. The plane carrying aboard Real Madrid’s new signing touched down at Barajas international airport from Bilbao at 10:45 local time. Illarra was accompanied by relatives and representatives from Bahía Internacional agency. The player looked delighted to be in the Spanish capital – in sharp contrast to the tearful images of his farewell earlier today in San Sebastián.

“I am very happy,” was all that Illarramendi said after coming through the arrivals lounge at Barajas airport’s terminal 4. The midfielder will be officially presented by Real Madrid at 13:00 hours CEST in the president's box at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Zidane: “Maybe I was too afraid to coach before”

Carlo Ancelotti’s right-hand man confessed that he was wary of “being betrayed” before embarking on a new career in management.

L’Equipe have published a short extract of an exclusive interview with Zinedine Zidane which will be published in full on Saturday. Zidane spoke about his first experiences in his new career as a football coach and warned, “Having been a good player doesn’t mean you will automatically make a good coach. It might help, but not much more than that”.

Zizou goes on to explain that fear prevented him from going into management earlier: “Maybe unconsciously, I was afraid – I was worried about being betrayed. I was fearful of puting my trust into something then being disappointed. But as time has gone on, I have learned to open up and I feel more confident”.

Callejón bids farewell: “Thanks for these unforgettable years”

The midfielder thanked Real Madrid “for everything they have given me and meant to me as a player and as a person”.

New Napoli signing José Callejón made his departure from Real Madrid by saluting the fans and his former club, where he has spent eight years of his career. The midfielder issued a statement expressing his gratitude for everything that being part of Real Madrid has meant, and will always mean to him.

Callejón’s open letter, published on the club’s official web site, read:

“I would like to send this message to everyone who supports or is involved in Real Madrid. It is not a message of goodbye, but one of thanks and until we meet again:

I thank Real Madrid for everything it has meant and will always mean to me, because it has helped me as a sportsman and as a person.

I thank this wonderful club and its supporters for the understanding, support and affection they have given me.

I thank the media for their understanding and respect.

I would like to say a special word of thanks to all those who work for Real Madrid, from the President down to the staff and coaches and to all those who work behind the scenes, who the public don’t know but who are always there.

Finally, I would like to say that I have spent eight unforgettable years of my life here and for my part I have dedicated all my strength and work to give back to Real Madrid some of what it has given me.

For all of this, let me say once again, thank you all very much".

Adán: “I have no hard feelings about Mou, I respect his decisions”

The Real Madrid goalkeeper opened up to AStv, speaking candidly about the events of last season, Mourinho and the future.

AS sat down to chat with Antonio Adán on Friday in one of the player’s first public appearances in several months. Adán, who staging his summer football campus for children in Madrid’s Parque de Atracciones, broke his silence about Jose Mourinho’s decision to bring Diego López back to the club in the winter transfer window and disclosed that although he is looking to move on, he will report for training as normal on Monday.

How’s your summer been? “I have switched off from football for the past month and a half. I’ve just been trying to disconnect from the events of last season and I am focusing on my summer camp with the kids. For the children, it’s a lot of fun and I really enjoy spending my time with them”.

Looking back over what happened earlier this year, when you went from being first choice to Casillas to being given the cold shoulder by the coach, how do weigh up the past season? “I prefer to focus on the positive things which happened. It’s fair to say that I have been through a lot of ups and downs. I was able to play a lot of game which, for a youth team graduate and one who is Iker Casillas’ understudy; no-one else has managed that. Apart from that, the media coverage of events has made me realize that I have a lot to learn ahead of the new season. I have to be more mature.

You said that you felt hurt by much of what was reported in the press and then Mourinho signed Diego López and you didn’t play again after that. That must have hurt too? “These things happen in football and you have no control over them. I tried to work even harder and give my best for the team but the club decided to sign another goalkeeper. The coach’s job is to select his team every Sunday and all I can do is keep working hard and accept what decisions he makes”.

Weren’t you surprised to be handed a start against Málaga then one month later, they sign another keeper? “The declarations which Mourinho made in public are there for everyone to listen to and that question would be better directed to him than to me. I am not able to say why he suddenly lost confidence in me. But I have no hard feelings towards Mou and I respect his decisions”.

What’s the relationship like between the keepers? “It has always been fantastic. I think I am very lucky to be able to say that Iker and Diego López are my friends and they have always treated me well. All three of us have come up from the youth teams. Diego coached me when I was younger and I have spent four or five seasons training with Iker and he is a very good friend of mine. So whatever the coach decides won’t change anything between us”.

What plans do you have for the future? “I will think about what’s best for me. In terms of my career, I want to be at a club where I will get to play regularly”.

Is continuing at Madrid too complicated? “That option is not entirely up to me. I am still under contract and if nothing changes, I will remain a Real Madrid player. Under that premise, I have to look at what is the best solution for me. I’ll wait until I receive an interesting offer but I am just looking for what is best for me”.

So you’ll be introduced to Ancelotti on Monday? “If I don’t receive a phone call this weekend, then I’ll be with him on Monday, yes”

Aperribay: “We would have preferred to keep the player but it wasn’t to be”

“Nurturing players is hard work and if we are not able to benefit from the results, we’ll always be at a disadvantage,” the president said on Friday.

“When we heard that Real Madrid were tracking Illarramendi, we contacted his representatives to inform them that we had no desire to take part in the operation. For us, he is a very important player and for the same reason we have elected a young coach to take charge of our first team. It was in our interest for Illarramendi to continue here with us,” said Real Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay, resigned to the fact that Asier Illarramendi, one of the club’s most promising players, will be spending the next six seasons at Real Madrid.

He continued, “Real Madrid contacted us last Friday and the next day we sat down with their representatives, and told them that we were not willing to negotiate. We spoke again on Tuesday evening then held conversations with Asier during which we expressed our hope that he would stay here with us but it wasn’t to be. At least we are lucky in one sense in that Madrid pay well. We are not willing to accept payment in instalments, we can’t accept that. Talks with Madrid were brief – because we didn’t really want to have to discuss something like this. We tried everything in our power to make it as difficult as possible for the operation to go through. But it’s impossible to stop them from stumping up the cash to pay the buy-out clause. Madrid had the decency not to haggle with us and the relationship between the two clubs remains very good”.

Aperribay added that Madrid only recently showed interest in Illarramendi: “We had lunch with Madrid officials back in May and the subject of Illarramendi wasn’t mentioned at all,” he said.

The president underlined Real Sociedad’s policy of holding onto players who have come up through the club’s youth ranks. “I have to defend the interests of this club. We have lost a player who would have been vital for us this season and we want to qualify for the Champions League with more home-grown players than ever before. We would rather still have Illarramendi with us than the money.

“Xabi Alonso left us after making 150 first team appearances and Illarramendi after 50. Nurturing players and bringing them through the youth system is hard work and if we are not able to benefit from the results, we’ll always be at a disadvantage. For players who are under 24 years of age, the buy-out clause should be higher. If we don’t take measures to protect ourselves, La Real and other clubs could end up disappearing and that’s something to think about. But now Asier is about to begin a new chapter in his career; we wish him the best of luck and hopes that he never forgets La Real”.

“Kaká is a phenomenon, he can be magical again”

The Real Madrid manager believes that Ancelotti could bring out the best in the Brazilian.

“Kaká is a phenomenon. I hope that under Ancelotti, who knows him so well, he finds the magic again”, said Florentino Pérez in an interview with Columbian website Gol Caracol. The Real Madrid president is in the Latin American country to receive an honorary title from the country’s parliament. Pérez also attended the presentation in Bogota of the charity tournament Copa Alma de la Reconciliación [The Soul of the Reconciliation Cup] to be played by children of people who were displaced in the reintegration process.

The season: “We’re starting a new era after Mourinho’s exit. We’ve got a new coach, who is also very demanding, and we’re very happy. We’re bringing in young talent, players who are hungry, which is vital if the established players aren’t to get too comfy. The mix will mean that quality and ‘madridismo’ are to the fore. Let’s see if we can win the ‘Décima’, which is one of the big dreams, because as creators [sic] of the tournament it’s something we have in our DNA. It’s a competition we enjoy. Champions League nights are magical, for the atmosphere and the dreams they bring. To win it you need a little luck, which we didn’t have last year or the year before. Madrid has to be able to beat anyone”.

La Liga: “We can’t forget about it, because it’s the day job and it’s where the fans get most satisfaction from our football. We want to win everything. Last year we won the league, scoring more than three goals a game and in recent years we’ve been in two finals of the Copa and two Champions league semi-finals. But Madrid also has to play well, even when we win everything, because otherwise the team will have the Bernabéu on its back. The fans are loyal, they turn up come rain or shine, but they are also very demanding”.

Ancelotti: “I don’t know if they will play better. Under Mourinho there were some amazing games, especially in the last league we won. And we beat Barcelona. To score 121 goals in a league will be difficult to beat. This year we didn’t start well and we never recovered”.

Kaká: “He’s a phenomenon, but he got injured after the World Cup and had to have an operation on his knee. Then Özil came to the club and took his place, but he remains one of the greats. He’s got the most number of followers on Twitter, after Cristiano. He’s got a certain magic and he gets the fans excited. I’m optimistic that Ancelotti, who knows him so well, will bring back that magic”.

Neymar: “He’s a great player and we would have loved to bring him here, but the conditions weren’t right. But it’s great that he’s going to play in the Spanish league. It gives us more motivation”.

Zidane: “He’s decided to be a coach, which is something I didn’t expect when he was a player, but he’s caught the bug. He’s done the training and he’s ready to coach. We’re hopeful he’ll start as Ancelotti’s assistant and maybe at some point he could be first team coach. Zidane is one of the players who will never be forgotten. Youngsters nowadays are saying: “Now I understand what my old man was on about with Di Stefano. Now I’ll be able to say that I saw Zidane play”.

Cristiano: “He’s the team’s reference point and the best player in the world. He’s going to give us a lot, because of his talent, his ambition and his dreams. We’ve yet to see the best of him, he’s going to be the best of all-time, or very close to it.”