First off, I must thank the ever amazing hopechaser for single-handedly covering the World Cup and doing such a brilliant job at it. She is a true star and the best watishista correspondent that a girl could ask for. She’s been holding down the fort at a time where I’m just not capable of doing so and I am very grateful.
I’m not good with change and that’s an understatement. I’ve been going through massive change in my personal life which is why I haven’t been around this summer. While I feel that all the upheaval will ultimately be beneficial, it doesn’t make the process any easier. So when my team has been going through similar changes, it has been very difficult for me to write about.
Cristiano leaving is something that we all felt was coming but it didn’t make it any easier especially on the heels of Zidane’s departure. That’s two major RM talismans gone in less than 2 months (Zidane’s departure and my drama happened on the same day). That’s a lot. But often a fresh start can be good because honestly, where would we go from where we were? We can’t win everything forever, as lovely (and boring, let’s be honest) as that would be so it can be a positive thing to rebuild, to reclaim that hunger. And we have a chance at a clean slate, the opportunity to fine tune, remove outmoded or unhelpful behaviors (and I say this as much about myself as the team). So we dust ourselves off and start again. Who are we without some of the key things that we identify as making us what we are? That’s the question we can now begin to answer. And so it goes. I’m optimistic for the future.
New Players Unveiled
Two new players were unveiled this week. On Wednesday, Alvaro Odriozola was introduced. Another special guest Alvaro joined him. Howdy Arbeloa! #FullBacksSupportingFullBacks
FROM REALMADRID.COM
Odriozola: “You can’t say no to the best club in history”
“The dream of every football player is to be successful at Real Madrid and I’m going to fight to make it happen” said the new Whites’ signing.
After being presented in the presidential box and stepping on to the pitch of the Bernabéu for the first time as a madridista, Alvaro Odriozola appeared before the media in the press room at the stadium. The new Whites’ signing was accompanied by another full back, Alvaro Arbeloa, who welcomed him: “It’s an honour to be next to a great footballer who arrives at Real Madrid to add his talent and quality. We’re sure that you’ll succeed here. We’re going to do everything to make you feel at home, with the help of great fans who will fall in love with you as soon as they see you play. Welcome and good luck”.
After the words from Arbeloa, the press conference kicked off, with Odriozola saying: “Today I’m fulfilling a dream and I couldn’t be happier to have signed for the biggest club in the world and in history. It’s something indescribable. Something that happens once in a lifetime and I’m very happy to be here. I want to enjoy every moment and nothing else”.
Triumph
“I want to grow as a player and as a person, as well as aspire to win every possible title. I would like to triumph at Real Madrid, which is the dream of every football player, and I will fight to make that dream come true”.Lopetegui
“I’m eternally grateful to him for giving me the opportunity to play at a World Cup and I’m very happy that he’s my coach. I’ve been with him this morning and he’s conveyed to me that I am going to have all the confidence in the world, that I have to give my best and that it’s a big club, with extremely high demands, which is why half measures are not worth it. He’s a specialist in transmitting his message to the group”.Competition
“When you come to Real Madrid you know that you’re up against the biggest competition. In this case it’s Carvajal, who is a reference for me and I have a lot of respect for him. I’ve come to fight for the position, to give the best of myself, and Real Madrid will benefit. I’ve come to succeed and give 100% for this shirt”.“Real Madrid is the biggest club in the world and in history, so you can’t say no. The decision was simple. I consider myself a very ambitious person and this is the biggest challenge possible. I want to give 100%, enjoy every moment from a demanding position”.
Shirt number and pre-season
“The 19 was an easy choice because I had it at Real Sociedad and it was lucky for me. It’s special to me. As for pre-season, I started training today and this afternoon I’ll do it with the team. In order to adapt to the city, the team and the changing room as soon as possible, I decided to cut short my holidays to get started”.Advice
“I’ve received a lot. In the end it’s about being yourself, working day in day out and focusing on what is purely football and training every day as if it were the last. Giving 100% every time you out on to the field and work, sacrifice and with humility, nothing else”.Desire
“Succeeding at Real Madrid would be a dream come true as well as winning titles. Only winning is accepted here, so I want to win every title possible”.Goals
“In my position it is not usual to score many. I’m more suited to giving assists, although I’ve scored some goals, I don’t like setting targets”.Cristiano Ronaldo
“He’s a Real Madrid legend. We’ve a lot of respect for him. But we must look to the future, a new era begins. In the changing room we’ve got the best in the world and it’ll be a very nice experience”.
And Vinícius Júnior was presented today. You may (or may not) remember that we bought his federative rights last May and were waiting until he turned 18 (which he did on July 12) before bringing him on board. Since he is quite young, there is talk about loaning him out for a bit.
FROM REALMADRID.COM
Vinicius Jr.: “I’m obsessed with winning and that’s why I chose Real Madrid”
“Being here is a unique feeling, I ‘ve no words to describe it,” said the new Whites’ signing.
Vinicius Jr. spoke to the media in the press room of the stadium after his presentation in the presidential box and stepping on the pitch at the Bernabéu. The new Real Madrid signing was accompanied by his compatriot Ronaldo, who welcomed him: “Vinicius is a player with a lot of quality and talent. He’s the biggest prospect for the future of Brazilian football. You arrive at an amazing new home. This is where I was the happiest playing football and where I achieved the most important things in my career”.
“It may be difficult at first, but it’s the best place you could be. All players dream of wearing the Real Madrid jersey and now he has the opportunity to show that he has been sacrificing to achieve his dream. I wish you all the luck in the world in this challenge and we will all be there to take care of you in everything you need”.
After the words from Ronaldo, the press conference started, in which Vinicius Jr. said: “I’m very happy. I want to win titles and be successful, giving joy to the Real Madrid fans. I’m preparing myself every day and I’m training to adapt as soon as possible”.
First impressions
“Everyone has welcomed me very well and I’m very happy. The club is wonderful and has a structure beyond the normal, which gives me the best in order to play football”.Squad
“It’s a wonderful group, that has welcomed me very well. They’re always advising me to adapt quickly. All the players here are my favourites. I’ve only seen them on television and video games. Now I’m training with them and that is inexplicable. I have to work hard to get up to the quality they have”.His position on the field
“I play on the left but can also play on the right. I didn’t notice that the jersey didn’t have a number. The number I choose isn’t important, but I’m going to wear this jersey with great pride and try to give the fans a lot of joy”.“I’m here with Real Madrid’s first team and they’ll decide if I’m going to play some games with Castilla to adapt as soon as possible. My goal here is always to win more, I’m obsessed with winning. I always want to be at the top and that’s why I chose Real Madrid”.
Advice from Lopetegui
“He always tells me what to do and on the defensive side I can’t dribble because it’s very dangerous. He always tells me to take on the opponent and go for goal. He’s helped me a lot and I think he’ll help me much more. It’s great that he knows a bit of Portuguese because when I have some difficulty he can translate it. He’s teaching me a lot and he’s telling me what I have to improve. My teammates too”.Pressure
“I come from Flamengo, which is a club with a lot of pressure. Everyone gives me the greatest possible support so that I only have to worry about playing. I never think about failing, only about winning. Winning everything in the Real Madrid jersey”.Thanks for Ronaldo words
“He’s a legend and someone I’ve always followed. My parents have told me that he’s a phenomenon and it’s a pleasure to be by his side. I don’t have words to describe this moment. I can only thank God, my family and friends”.Cristiano Ronaldo and Zidane
“Cristiano Ronaldo is a Real Madrid legend. And Zidane has won lots of titles with Real Madrid as a player and coach. I’m very happy to be here with Benzema, Bale…There are still more players to come back, who are the best in their positions, and I want to play with them and be able to help”.Neymar
“He’s my idol and someone I follow very closely. Regarding who I’m like, it’s for you to decide. I’ve come to work hard. I have a dream of playing with him and God willing I will be able to play with him in the national team. My game is more like Neymar’s. If I take a bit of him and Ronaldo it would be great”.
Welcome to the new Blancos! I have a feeling we’ll be seeing some more changes before the season kicks off. One of the first notices of movement came on July 11th when it was announced that Achraf Hakimi would be loaned to Borussia Dortmund.
Training
The players returned at the beginning of the week for training and had a double session today. Odriozola took part in the morning session along with academy goalkeepers Moha and Altube. (Video)
Interviews
FROM REALMADRID.COM
“In these first few sessions it’s all about picking up the gaffer’s ideas to be able to put them into practice out on the pitch”, declared the Whites’ midfielder.
Dani Ceballos is amongst the group of players currently available to Julen Lopetegui ahead of this, his second season at Real Madrid. At the end of the fourth day of training, the midfielder sat down with Realmadrid.com and Realmadrid TV to reflect on the pre-season campaign so far: “The first few sessions are always pretty tough, but we’re getting into the groove, picking up the gaffer’s ideas and getting up to speed to make sure that we’re in good shape when the games come around”.
“In these first few sessions you’ve got to pay attention to what the coach is after, understand what he wants from the team and pick up his ideas, so that we can put them into practice out on the pitch”.
First piece of silverware
“On 15 August we’ve got the UEFA Super Cup in Estonia against Atlético. Before then, we’ve got some important games that we’ve got to approach as best we can to ensure that we head into the Super Cup in good shape and go on to lift our first title of the season”.Friday marks a year since his unveiling
“It was a pretty special moment. Watching Álvaro’s (Odriozola) unveiling yesterday brought back good memories from last year. It was a year ago now and I continue to work hard and with the same excitement that I felt on my first day. It was a season that brought with it lots of silverware and let’s hope that this year is the same or even better”.
FROM REALMADRID.COM
Vallejo: “These training sessions are very important to charge the batteries”
“We’re all looking forward to getting back to work and the season is begining in a very exciting way”, he said.
After the second training session of pre-season, Jesús Vallejo spoke to Realmadrid.com and Realmadrid TV. The centre back, who is going in to his second season at the club, talked about pre-season and the important challenges the team has ahead: “The season is beginning in a very exciting way and something important that we must do is to prepare ourselves mentally from now on. These first sessions are very important, it seems like we’re very far from the start of the season and the titles, but these are the big session as they prepare the legs and charge the batteries for the season”.
“The most important thing is to return and feel good both with the ball and physically. It’s also important to reconnect with our teammates and the new coach. At the moment everyone is happy and doing the pre-season here, at Real Madrid City, is positive because we have these great facilities at our disposal”.
First impressions of pre-season
“We’re all delighted to be back in training at Real Madrid City. The holidays are over and we’re all looking forward to getting back to work. We’ve had two initiation days, working hard on the physical side. Yesterday we did the medical check-ups and trained in the afternoon and today we’ve also done some training. Little by little we’re getting back the good feelings”.Assessment of his first season
“I’d say every time I was out on the field or training here I gave my best and I tried to help my teammates as much as I could. And of course, the titles we won, especially that Champions League, which was so special for everyone”.
Some Congratulations Are In Order
A much belated mazel tov to Lucas and Macarena on the birth of their little boy Lucas Jr. back on May 30. Looks like Lucas is taking to being a papi naturally. So sweet.
Congrats to Golden Ball winner Lukita and Mateo for making it to the final of the World Cup and playing their hearts out for Croatia!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BlQ1Y2KnSlE
And I love this sweet shot of The Baby and his baby, Ruben, with the World Cup. THE BABY WON THE WORLD CUP! So amazing.
And on that happy note, I’ll wrap things up for now. I’m going to try to get back to a more regular posting schedule. New season, new start.
– Lozil
Of Headbands and Heartbreak... 
Thank you for this blog. With Real Madrid being Real Madrid, I need something constant in my life when it comes to my obsession for my team. This blog fulfills that for me.
Thank you so much, M. You really always say the kindest things. xo
You rock, Lozil. Welcome back. This season is going to be a great new start for everyone.
Yes, I think it is! Now if I could just stay healthy…
😊You’re the brilliant one! New season, new start, new groove. Looking forward to seeing how Isco, Vasquez and Asensio grow within this new team dynamic.
Me too. And if Bale will unleash his inner Kraken. He’s already hiking his short up in training. I think he’s prepping himself for the job ahead. 😉