Best Player - Ruud Van Nistelrooy Ruud has been a revelation up front. With so much hopes piined on Ronaldo this few seasons Ruud far and away excelled most expectations of him. It's amazing to finnish the season as pichichi in your first season at the club but it's all the more special that he did it with a mediocre midfield behind him for more than half of the season. He also had no back up striker after the departure of Ronaldo (who was injured mostly when here) and being the wrong side of the 30 he was still reliable for the whole season. What would have happened if that hamstring tore 6 or 7 games ago?? Most Improved Player - Sergio Ramos Last year I thought Ramos was quite disappointing. He had a poor disciplinary record, his positioning was poor and lacked concentration in spells during the game. This year, as a lateral in particular, he has been wonderful. It took no time whatsoever to get into rediscovering the groove of the position after 3 brilliant, consecutive performances at the position which started in Bucharest and ended in Tarragona. Even at centre back he has improved greatly. His temperament in particular as he only picked up 1 red ard this season which was actually an injustice. Yes, the yellow cards keep coming but it's an important step not to be cynical when you have already been cautioned and Ramos is getting a lot better at this. I'm hoping that where ever he plays he molds into a great Real Madrid legend. Surprising Player - Miguel Torres. When Carlos and Raul Bravo were injured it looked like we were going to have some serious problems on the left hand side of defence, however, Torres came in and made the position his own. Whilst not being the most penatrative going forward he is a very good defender. It's very hard to try and take over a position which Real Madrid fans were used to seeing the great Carlos dominate, however, Torres came into the side at a "crisis" point and did a great job. It's refreshing to see players from the cantera emerge and make such a good impression. Best Transfer - Ruud Van Nistelrooy I've said my piece on Ruud so all I'll say is that £10.6 million was peanuts for 33 goals and immense work ethic. Pichichi! Best Goal - Ruud Van Nistelrooy's goalzo against Valencia. Not only was it the best team goal but it was the best individual strike. The neat touches, quick passing and great off the ball movement left 1 of the best defences in La Liga in tatters. It's the sort of build up play that I have seen a lot as a Real Madrid fan but it was the finnish that made it all the more special. Anyone who has ever played football knows that to take the ball out of the air like that and to get it precisely into the wanted target takes immense skill. The timing, power and execution of the strike was just perfect. Best Assist - Guti to Robinho. Real Madrid 3-2 Sevilla Guti pops up with at least one match clinching performance a season and just like last season, this year it was also against Sevilla. Few will forget the cheeky back heel to Zidane but this assist was just as special. We had just seen Alves blow the chance to make it 2-1 to Sevilla and we go on the attack. When Guti receives the ball from Cicinho there is no obvious space to play the ball into. All our players were being covered when Robinho makes a fantastic run between ocio and Drago. Somehow Guti squeezes the ball between them - courtesy of a nutmeg - and Robinho comfortablly places it past Palop. The turn and pass for RVN just before that was probably the second best assist of the season but this one was my personal favourite. Most Memorable Win - Real Madrid 4-3 Espanyol 3-1 down at the half to 4-3 winners at the end. This performances tipified our final sprint to the La Liga title. It was the intensity of the fans that really inspired the players to victory. The juntos podemos campaign brought unity within the club and for once there was belief that we could do it. Contrast this with the attitude in the second half against Levante and you'll see what I'm talking about. Most Memorable performance - Barcelona 3-3 Real Madrid After the bitterly disappointing result in Munich many thought we were going to Camp Nou to confirm another trophyless season. That was not the case as we took the game to Barcelona and were robbed of a well earned victory in the last minute. That performance, which no-one could have predicted, ignited this extraordinary belief that we could do this. I have a vivid memory of a female Cule holding out her hand shouting at our players as they applaudd teh travelling support "It's still 5 points". Barca thought they had done enough but in the end they had not. In the very next day at training the playesr huddled together in a circle illustrating the belief they and the fans shared. If we hadn't performed so bravely and honourablly as we did on that night then I don't think the belief would have been there to carry us to number 1 on the podium. Share your awards and feel free to add new categories if you like!
DEFINITLEY. 9/10 From me id add BIGGEST DOOOSCH BAG- ANTONIO CASSANO SURPRISING PLAYER- FABIO CANNAVARO world player of the year gets torn to shreds in his first season. MOst notably letting letting uche score at bernabeu. After such an invicible WC u wouldn't think with his experience and ability he would have beed so woeful.
I was going to do something similar to this, focusing on the league in general, and even though my "awards" heavily favor but aren't exclusive to Real Madrid, I guess I'll post them here since you've started a thread already. Player of the year: Casillas. For all the games where Madrid won with a one-goal margin, there was usually a world class stop or two in there by the keeper. Proven once again last weekend, when Casillas stopped Maxi Rodriguez from making it 2-1 with 10 minutes to go, and probably saving the league title. A lock for the keeper spot in my La Liga Best XI of the year. Coach of the year: Juande Ramos. For making Sevilla what it is, and for making them play the way they do. And he's also got a keen eye for good transfers that don't break the bank. And where other coaches just had abusive words hurled at them, Ramos actually took a bottle to the skull during a Betis game, thus upping his street cred. Best transfer of the year: van Nistelrooy. I would have said 'Poulsen' since he was free and has been integral for Sevilla this year, but RVN is pichichi and has carried the team throughout the second half of the season. And he's the only other RM player in my XI of the year. Worst transfer of the year: anything involving a Juventus player. Yes, Cannavaro and Emerson have won Liga titles, but the first showed horrific form and was a red card machine, and the latter was just a goon. And Zambrotta/Thuram were just as bad. Thug of the year: Pablo Garcia. I would have said Poulsen again, but his antics involved an NT game and don't apply here. Garcia got a red card in the Celta - Athletic game for 1) hacking down an Athletic player, and 2) spitting on him as he was lying on the ground. Still can't believe this guy is a RM player. Class act of the year: David Beckham. After being publicly left out in the cold by an under-fire manager, his behavior showed nothing but professionalism. Not least since his assists were vital for last-gasp goals during the comeback. Possibly the player on Madrid's squad who most deserved to win a Liga title. Comeback of the year: Real Madrid, starting March 10th. Gaffe of the year: Calderon's "you law students have more class than my soccer team" comments. What a dumbass. Disturbing trend of the year: Leaving it until the 90th minute to score the winning or tying goal, followed closely by the BigSoccer trend of starting and ending a sentence with "lol". Team of the Year: Sevilla. They started the season beating Barcelona 3-0 in the Super Cup, were the only Liga team that managed to stay alive in all competitions, and have a chance of taking home their second title this weekend. Are probably the team responsible for Barcelona's inflexion point, when they came from behind with one man down to win 2-1 and show the rest of the league that Barcelona were no longer a team to fear. And their form early on was just impressive. Game of the Year: Madrid - Barcelona (3-3). The game that probably saved Capello from being sacked, the game that was Madrid's inflexion point for the season. This game had it all, including Guti's best game in the last few years, Messi's hat-trick, and a last-minute controversial decision (penalty or no penalty by Diarra? It could have gone either way) which could have decided the fates of two teams. One for the books, one for the DVD collection, and the reason why La Liga is, to me, the best in Europe. Best performance of the year: Messi vs. Madrid, in a photo finish with Guti vs. Barca. Both from the 3-3 classic. Worst performance of the year: Pick a ref, any ref. You are correct. Goal of the Year: Mara.. err, Messi vs. Getafe. OK, it's a Copa game, and it has nothing to do with Madrid, but seriously. How can anyone not look at his run and just smile? Miss of the year: There are many, but I think I'll go with Alves vs. Madrid. Right back of the year: Sergio Ramos. Just to add more fuel to the fire. And finally, Best BigSoccer thread of the year: "Do you believe we can still win the title?" Watching the comments go from cautious optimism, gaining more momentum every week. And lo and behold, here's a little gem from Galactico77: "If we win tomorrows game, we will win the title. Mark this post." Marked. followed closely by the Spanish Babes (Probably NSFW) thread. Oh yeah.
Bigsoccer poster of the year: Nuff_said and horsehead share the title Nuff_said for the excelent match threads, and horsehead for the great videos
Best Player: Without a doubt, this award goes to Iker Casillas. Never gets the credit he deserves, and certianly doesn't go out of his way to put the spotlight on him. The best goalkeeper in the world, and the man who kept them in the race. Most Improved Player: Robinho. After failing to snatch a place in the starting XI in his first year with Madrid, Robinho has made it clear that Real can no longer do without him on the pitch. Game of the Year: Many would have the Barca vs. Madrid or the Madrid vs. Espanyol, but none compared to the last game against Mallorca. Say what you want, but I'm sure many of us were sweating buckets and biting the last bits of our nails before Reyes equalized the game.
I'm with you zidane05 best game of the year goes the the last game of the season. when casillas cried, i cried. lucky i was alone at home in the virtual (bigsoccer) bernabeu. i never felt so happy at 5am in the morning for so many damn years
Lionel, I agree with many of your selections, just want to add and elaborate... Agreed. It is often expected that strikers have big fat egos, but Ruud has had a quiet confidence the entire season. When he missed a couple of penalty shots, I'm sure he was shaken, but he just kept working. He went game after game with very little service and at that time it was hard to keep faith in him. The entire team, including him went through a terrible goal drought. Once the team gelled and started getting the ball to his area, he did everything he was supposed to do and then some. He was really an iron man this year and never ever complained. I believe his example and maturity helped our team come together over the last few months. What else is there to say about this kid? During the bleak times, the only reason to get excited about our games for me was knowing that he would play his heart out, thrill us with his athletic abilities, and do something surprising in every game. I told one of the members here that I figured I could handle just about any crap that this team & Capello can throw at me because I'm in this for the long run. Just knowing that I'm going to get to watch Ramos play here for the next 10 years brings me patience. I have grown to feel similarly about Gago and Higuain. His first game with us was against D.Kiev, which I missed. I do remember his second game with us which was against Zarogoza. It was our first good primera liga game after a few stinkers. Torres was perfect, cool headed, not trying to do too much, and he was mature & stable. We always murmur about the goal scorers from Cantera, but don't say much about the back line, so he was a welcome surprise to most of us. Like Ramos last year getting burned by Dinho, Torres was embarrassed by Messi & Joaquin, but I expect he will work on his positioning and tactics like Ramos obviously has. It is because of Miguel that I really started paying more attention to the RM Castilla thread. I want to add Diarra. I don't care about the gripes about his transfer cost. It was a deal we had to make at the time. Diarra has been up and down this year, mostly up lately, and he's a special player. I'm glad we got him and I hope he stays. Agreed. A glorious thing to behold. Good one. I pay a lot of attention to assists and I often make assists comments or give stats. Two of my favorites are from that Sevilla game - the one you mentioned, of course was amazing. But I loved the earlier perfectly threaded and wonderfully weighted pass from Guti (who had just come in a couple minutes before that) to RvN, who finishes from the side with speed and power. I looked at it on vid and figured it out that it went about 35 meters from when it left Guti's foot to where RvN picked it up. Gush. Gago to Roberto Carlos - Recreativo 2-3 Real Madrid From Recreativo freekick, Ramos makes a big clearing header that lands into space in front of the breaking Higuain, who dribbles the ball the length of the field. Gago runs alongside and is almost taken down by a defender but stays up. At the time I was cursing him because he runs towards Higuain, which adds a 4th defender to hassle Higuain's dribbling. Sure enough, Gago's marker challenges and plucks the ball away from Higuain but it lands in front of Beckham. Beckham mis-hits it and it's a hospital ball creeping towards Gago. It actually slowly nutmegs Beckham's defender and ends up at Gago's feet. I'm going crazy at this point because I can smell a goal, but it seems like the play is going to get bogged down and the ball stolen. Gago makes an awkward spinning turn and somehow chucks the ball to Roberto Carlos who finishes. It was not elegant, but it was soooo beautiful to me. Ramos to Raul - Real Madrid 2-0 Barcelona After the god awful first Getafe game, it just seemed like we were going nowhere. We had a good CL game vs. Steau, but we were coming up against Barcelona. Last year's game at the Bernabeu had left such a bad taste, I was truly fearing the worst. When Ramos, recently playing RB, only two minutes into the game, sent that lilting ball in to Raul, who seemed to float in the air for an extra two seconds, and sent it into the corner, I felt such a rush of joy and relief. I will never forget that one because I had so much dread. We went on to play a wonderful game. During the later periods when we played so poorly, I would remember this game and what was possible from our team and held on to some hope. I don't know if I can pick one, I'm so fond of them all. Valencia, Sevilla, Espanyol, Recreativo, Zaragoza (draw, but felt like a win) and Mallorca. I'm married to all of them, seriously. Making those little videos tattoos those games frame by frame into my conscience. A few turning points of the year, sort of in chronological order: Thumbs Down: Any and all of the Cassano nonsense. Thumbs Up: Goodbye Ronaldo and everything that has meant. Hallelujah. Thumbs Up: Gago, Higuain, Marcelo signings. Thumbs Up: Beckham leaving. Agreed with it at the time, agree with it now. Thumbs Down: All the ridiculous drama of it all. Him being banished from playing (but still training) and all the freaking tragicomedy that followed including Calderon's mouth and on and on. Those were ridiculous times. Thumbs Up: Kicking the media out of training sessions. I think this was important for our focus and was glad that Capello had the balls to do this. Thumbs Up: Team comes together to slap Calderon around and ask for Beckham to be put back on squad. Thumbs Up: Beckham plays and breaks our scoring drought. (We hadn't found the net in 3 games and had only scored 4 goals in the previous 10 games.) Also, as Adrian put it, he was and has been a class act through this all. Thumbs Up: Against Atletico in late February, Cassano subs in for a second half, it breaks the tension surrounding him and talk dies down about the Cassano problem. Pretty much all of the negative drama dies down at this point and the team gets more serious. Thumbs Up: The 12 Games 12 Finals period. Nuff said.
Player: Iker Casillas San Iker literary saved our asses more or less every game before the second Clássico. His consistence, reflexes and ability to perform at his best when the rest of the team suffers makes him the best goalkeeper in the world at the moment. This was just another season where he was the main reason the team didn't fail utterly. Performance: Real Madrid 2-0 Barcelona We completely outshone a Barca that was everyone's favorite for the title, at a pretty early stage of the season. The never even felt near scoring. A team performance that convinced me Capello was able to win somthing for us. Revenge: Fabio Capllo From white handkerchiefs to Cebeles. I hope he stays. Scandal: Racing Santander 2-1 Real Madrid I think we all remember. Talent:Gonzalo Higuaín Came out of nowhere and commanded an important role in the Real Madrid squad, at the tender age of 19. To make the journey from Argentina to Madrid at a point of the season when the team was struggling and still be able to leave such an impression is nothing short of spectacular. I have very high hopes for Gonzalo, who has underlined his potential by putting in several game-winning performances (Espanyol, Recreativo...). Goal: Raúl in the first Clássico Raúls opening score against Barcelona at the Bernabeu was the best goal of the season for several reasons. Firstly it was a very beautiful header, scored from a splendid assist by Ramos. Secondly it was against Barcelona, and ignited what i consider the best performance from our side this season. Thirdly it was great to see our captain, after all the criticism against him the last few seasons, score such an important and beautiful goal at such an important stage of the season. Runner up: Ruud against Valencia, Haircut: Beckhams scooter-inspired platina blondness came out of nowhere and proved that he still got the will, if not the ability, to start trends.
Best player: Iker Casillas. He kept us in it. For me, he is the best keeper in the world. I wouldn't want anyone else between the sticks. Worst player: Raul Bravo. Didn't take much part, but everytime he did, he screwed up. Most improved player: Torres. At the start of the season, he wasn't even getting much playing time with Castilla. Now, he is one of the best fullbacks in la Liga. Goal of the Season: The 1st goal against Valencia in the Bernabeu. 5 players involved, 9 first touches (IIRC). Incredible finish by RvN. I also really like Van Nistelrooy's chip over the keeper in the CL against Steaua Bucharest, I think it was. Best team performance of the season: Both matches against Barca. Vital in our la Liga win, because of the head-to-head rule. Worst team performance of the season: At home against Recreativo. Pretty much nobody turned up to play. A 3-0 loss at home to a newly promoted side. This, along with the 3-0 loss against Barca at the Bernabeu, and the 6-1 loss in Zaragoza, is one of the most embarassing times to be a Madridista. Best perfomance by a player: RvN, the match against Levante (?) where he scored 4 goals when given 4 chances. What more can you ask for? Worst performance by a player: This one is hard. Perhaps Cannavaro against Lyon (both times.) I mean, FFS, he got owned by Carew. Then there are the times when Raul and Guti were invisible. Best signing: RvN. Pichichi in his first season. Worst signing: Between Cannavaro and Emerson. They both had some great performances at one time or another, but I'd say Cannavaro had a stronger second half of the season...so...Emerson. EDIT: Best moment of the season: Higuain's last minute goal against Espanyol. 4-3. Worst moment of the season: Messi completing his hat-trick against us. I thought we had it in the bag. Thanks Helguera.
I want to add one more... Back from the dead award. Ivan Helguera.. Shunned and left for dead by coach and posters alike (even though i kept suggesting him for lineups!), he was called upon in a time of need and preformed very well.
And yet two more awards: Not this season either award Álvaro Mejía Runner up: Rubén de la Red Likeability award This one clearly goes to Mahamadou Diarra. You've just got to love this guy. His "feeling lucky, punk?"-facial expression during the games, his work rate, his more than decent form during ramadan and his constant use of the Aftrica-tricolored bracelet makes this the most lovely guy on the squad. Came close: Raúl, Sergio Ramos, Fernando Gago... but hell, most of our side is likeable.
Best player: Iker Casillas. He kept us in it. For me, he is the best keeper in the world. Worst player: cassano. nuff said Most improved player: Torres. At the start of the season, he was w/real madrid c. Now, he is a starter beating out two brazilians( cicihno and marcelo) Best team performance of the season: Both matches against Barca. could and should have won both. Worst team performance of the season: At home against Recreativo. Pretty much nobody turned up to play. A 3-0 loss at home to a newly promoted side. This, along with the 3-0 loss against Barca at the Bernabeu, and the 6-1 loss in Zaragoza, is one of the most embarassing times to be a Madridista. Best perfomance by a player: robinho against barca. (the 1st meeting) Worst performance by a player: too many Best signing: RvN. Pichichi in his first season. Worst signing: cassano still lead this one even after a year and half at the club. emerson and cannavaro both looked unsettled at times.
I so agree. Diarra absolutely won me over, and won me more after he scored the winning goal. Played his heart out. Stunning work rate and stamina. And true! That tricoloured wristband makes you love him more. Any player that loves his country and the club they play for so much deserves everyones love.
Diarra's awesome, justs gets on with the job and does it well. Will be very very important next season. Best Moments- seeing the look on the Barcelona players faces whenever we came from behind in those heart stopping matches to snatch points. MOST SATISFYING!
My likeability award would go to Sergio Ramos. Not only on the pitch but off the pitch as well. If you ever go to Valdebebas you will see just how good he is with the fans. When he stopped the day I was there he waited for every fan to get his autograph, posed for photographs and even let the hoards of girls kiss him. I thought they stop every so often but a friend of mine in Madrid says that Ramos stops more than any other player. I think he is a tremendous ambassador for bringing the fans and players closer together. It is ultimatley the fans that are most important and Ramos showed just how much he values our support.
We laughed, shared life stories and cried together upon departure. He offered me a lift to the airport....but it would have just been too emmotional.
Best chant of the year: Cannavaro on Eto'o Unsung hero of the year: Iván Helguera Best Fighter of the Year (not in the Pablo Garcia sense): Gonzalo Higuaín. Barcelona player of the year(Real Madrid fans' choice): Eto'o or Guðjohnsen Worst Signing of the Year: NONE!!!!!! Okay,Cannavaro. Emerson won me over. Sweetest Goal(s) Too many. Higuaín vs Espanyol, RVN's 2nd goal against Zaragoza. R.Carlos vs Recreativo.
A favorite moment was Higuain's goal in the V.Calderon. I was sick with high fever, but since i had the chance to watch the match on the big screen, with Andrés Montes commentary, i thought, i have to watch this. Terrible performance, me, sick with a red nose and a box of tissues, and Montes with his kikiriiiikuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.Torres partying his first goal against Real Madrid like he won the CL. Then, Cassano through ball, Higuain shaking off his defender like he's playing against an Atletico C' benchwarmer, and he scores. Yes.Take that, take that.It took me 2 minutes to sit down.
An award for whoever decided to sell fat Ronaldo. It was no coincidence that team spirit and dynamism rose shortly after his departure. Over the last 3 years all his talent failed to offset his dumb lethargy that killed the forward line, I was rejoicing when I heard the news.
Calderon: Ronaldo sale crucial to Real Madrid success Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon has slammed AC Milan striker Ronaldo, insisting his sale sparked their run to last season's Spanish title triumph. "How much did the decision to sell him influence Real's title win? A lot," Calderon told El Pais. "It was vital that we recovered the habit of hard work and sacrifice - and Ronaldo didn't collaborate. "I've enjoyed watching him, but we had to change the atmosphere in the dressing room and he wasn't helping."