Madrid – As Cristiano Ronaldo milked every last drop of his moment on the microphone at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday night, it was hard to imagine this was a player about to leave Real Madrid.
Real’s players were introduced one-by-one onto the podium and when Ronaldo’s moment came, a gap left after “Cristiano” for the delirious fans to fill, he predictably made the most of it.
A Portugal flag draped over his shoulders, Ronaldo pirouetted before counting out on his fingers to five, the number of Champions League titles he now owns.
He pulled out the badge on his shirt and kissed it, twice, before blowing a few more kisses to the crowd. By now they were chanting “Cristiano” and some of the Real players were joining in.
Even when Marcelo, the next one out, emerged, the grinning Ronaldo strutted back down the walkway to welcome him with the pair’s familiar celebratory dance.
This Ronaldo was almost unrecognisable from the one that had, less than 24 hours before, been prickly and restless, as he insisted he could leave Real, despite them just beating Liverpool to mark a third consecutive European triumph.
Even amid wrangling contract negotiations, a frosty relationship with president Florentino Perez, a perceived lack of support in his row with Spanish tax authorities and perhaps even jealousy over Real´s courting of Neymar, his timing was inexplicably bad.
Zinedine Zidane had summed up the mood. “I’m not thinking about that now,” he said.
Microphone in hand, however, Ronaldo was back at the centre of things on Sunday and this time his message was different.
“What can I say?” he said over the supporters’ cheers. “You have given us so much love in every single match. It’s an honour to play for the biggest club in the world, that’s the truth, it’s an honour.”
As the fans roared, Real’s players bounced around Ronaldo, chanting “Cristiano, quedate”, “Cristiano, stay”, and soon the whole stadium was singing too.
When Ronaldo resumed, the big screen briefly catching a stoney-faced Gareth Bale next to a beaming Casemiro, he said: “Thank you, this is very important to me. I am so happy with your passion, the passion of the players and coaches.
“What I like most is winning. So for one last time, one, two three – Hala Madrid!”
Earlier, in the Plaza de Cibeles, he had signed off a more modest speech with: “Thank you guys and see you next year.”
At euphoric events like these, there must always be a pull to draw the biggest cheer, but Ronaldo’s behaviour at least suggests Real could satisfy the 33-year-old if they want to.
He reportedly seeks a new deal in line with Lionel Messi’s at Barcelona and Neymar’s at PSG.
But Perez was not impressed by Ronaldo’s posturing on Saturday. “We hear the same every summer,” Perez said. “And then nothing happens.”
In 2012, Ronaldo said he was “sad” and last year, Portugese newspaper A Bola claimed the forward wanted to leave, unhappy with the club not backing him in the face of tax investigators.
Perez and Ronaldo need each other, but neither will want to be seen to have lost the argument. At the very least, Real’s celebrations showed nothing has been decided yet.
METAIRIE, La. — Forget Mike, Will and Sam. The New Orleans Saints should just label all of their linebackers, “Alpha.”
After signing Demario Davis to a three-year, $24 million contract in free agency, the Saints now have four guys with a history of playing middle linebacker and serving as the signal-calling “quarterback of the defense” in the NFL with the communication device in their helmets.
Last year they added A.J. Klein and Manti Te’o. The year before that, it was Craig Robertson. And second-year weakside linebacker Alex Anzalone served that role for a while in college.
It remains to be seen how the Saints will use all of them — especially since they spend most of their time in nickel defense with only two linebackers on the field.
But it’s clear they like having as many of those alpha types in the room as possible. As linebackers coach Mike Nolan put it, they consider it “a good problem to have.”
“You know, when we use the term ‘green dot’ sometimes, people think about the helmet on the field,” Nolan said of the green sticker that identifies which player is wearing the communication device on game days. “But we also talk about it in the way of, ‘This guy is a leader.’ We have a number of guys with leadership skills [and Davis] does have that. That did make his stock and his value greater.
“What’s nice is we have about four or five guys that could wear it. Some teams sit there and they’re fighting over two guys or they’re thinking, ‘We really don’t have a guy that takes charge.’ In our case, I think we’ve got five guys that can wear it, if not six.”
Of course the Saints’ linebackers are all saying the right things about how competition brings out the best in everyone and they’re willing to play wherever the coaches ask — as you would expect from veteran leaders and captains.
But they also readily admit they take a lot of pride in being counted on as that quarterback of the defense who never leaves the field.
“You know, all of us want that headset,” said Te’o, who wore it with the San Diego Chargers before Klein primarily wore it in New Orleans last season when healthy. “I think it’s not just to have that responsibility, but to have that trust [from coaches and teammates].”
“You know, how I’m built, I guess at the core of me I’ve always been ‘the’ guy. But that’s not why I’m here,” said the 29-year-old Davis, who said he was drawn to the Saints because of their history of success and great offensive play after he didn’t get to experience much of either in six years with the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns. “This team has been in a great place for years, and I’m here to win. So wherever the coaches need me, I’m here to serve, I’m down with it, I’m 100 percent cool with it.”
Davis and Klein, however, stressed that it’s very important to them to prove they are an “every-down linebacker” one way or another.
That will come down to proving they can be an asset in coverage, which is more important than ever in the modern NFL.
Davis hasn’t played much Will linebacker in his career. But the Saints think he has the traits to do it, and Davis said he has worked hard in recent years to become a better coverage linebacker.
“That’s what you always want to be. I’ve always taken pride in being a three-down linebacker,” said the 6-foot-2, 248-pound Davis, who admitted he didn’t pay enough attention to detail in coverage early in his career, but now considers it one of his strengths.
“I think I got beat a lot more than I was wanting to, especially my third and fourth year in the league. I was thinking because I’m fast and I can run in space that I can guard these guys. But it’s not [that simple],” Davis continued. “It’s a lot more technique that goes into it. And when I started spending my offseason focusing on detailing my coverage, and adding that to being effective blitzing and effective in the run game, it helped me to have more of an all-around game.
Linebacker Manti Te’o’s performance during the 2017 season proved he can be an impact player for the Saints. Sean Gardner/Getty Images
“And I try to pride myself on being one of the most elite cover ‘backers in the league.”
Davis just had the best season of his career with the Jets in 2017, playing all 1,115 snaps with career highs of 135 tackles and five sacks.
Klein and Te’o acknowledged that coverage is an area of their game they’ve tried to constantly develop, since they weren’t asked to do it a lot in college or early in their careers.
“That’s a big thing. It’s important [to be considered an every-down linebacker],” said the 6-1, 240-pound Klein. “Obviously I came here to be playing — to play every down. And I know I can be that type of linebacker.
“We’re versatile, and I know from week to week, game plans change. Last year I got moved around, Craig got moved around, Manti got moved around. That’s just the nature of the game that we’re in. That’s 2018. That’s the NFL nowadays. You have to be versatile.”
Last year in New Orleans, Klein played the strongside (Sam) position on base downs, then moved inside to Mike in nickel packages.
Anzalone was the primary weakside linebacker (Will) in both base and nickel packages before he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 4. Robertson primarily took over that Will role after that. Te’o played Mike in base packages.
This season, the most likely setup is Davis at Mike, Klein at Sam and Anzalone at Will in base packages. But it’s much harder to project the nickel lineup.
Perhaps it will be Klein at Mike and Davis at Will — which we saw when they were on the field together in last week’s minicamp. But the Saints love Anzalone’s potential, and he might prove to be their best coverage linebacker. So that could make it an either-or decision between Davis and Klein on passing downs.
One way or another, Klein said the linebackers all have a common goal — to prove that they’re a better option than a sixth defensive back.
“Obviously for us [as a position group] we’re gonna be selfish, because we don’t want to be in dime,” Klein said. “We want two linebackers on the field at all times.”
London – Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius is strong enough to deal with his Champions League final nightmare, according to team-mate Simon Mignolet.
Karius was responsible for two of Real’s goals in their 3-1 victory over Liverpool in Kiev on Saturday.
The 24-year-old German threw the ball into Real forward Karim Benzema and it bounced back into the net for the opening goal.
He then allowed Gareth Bale’s harmless shot to squirm through his hands for Real’s third goal in the closing minutes.
Karius was in tears after the final whistle and has been subjected to death threats and vile abuse on social media since the match.
Mignolet has made his share of mistakes during his Liverpool career and lost his place to Karius earlier this season.
But he empathises with the 24-year-old German’s plight and has offered to help.
The Belgian international believes Karius is mentally equipped to cope and expects him to be fine when Liverpool return to action next season.
“I know how it is. You need a bit of time. The good thing about this final is that he will have the summer to take it and go forward,” Mignolet said.
“If he wants to talk then of course I will be there. Every goalkeeper can relate to him.
“I’ve been in this situation before myself and those kind of things you deal with yourself.
“The only thing I told him is that there is a reason we got to this final, and why we played in this final, so think about that.
“But of course it is very difficult to say anything to him and to let him grasp it.
“He’s only young. I’m sure he will bounce back. I think we have all the tools at Liverpool as well to help him with that.”
Find the positives
Meanwhile, Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren is certain Jurgen Klopp’s side will make amends for their European heartache next term.
Lovren knows Liverpool’s run to the final was unexpected, but he says it underlined their emerging quality under Klopp.
“I promise that next year we will come back even stronger because I feel this team is growing every day.
“We beat the best teams in Europe. We beat Man City, who had a fantastic season in the Premier League.
“We showed again that Real Madrid respected us in some moments – they were defending quite deep.
“We need to find the positives. The manager is always positive. At the end, we will grow and I believe in this team that we can do it again next year.”
Until Liverpool’s star forward Mohamed Salah went off with a shoulder injury, Real were struggling to cope with the Reds’ incisive attacks.
And Lovren acknowledged the loss of their talisman — who scored 44 goals this season — was a hammer blow.
“It was also a big point when Mo was injured, it was a big change for us,” he said.
“Mo is one of the most important players for us and it’s not the same when you don’t have him on the pitch.
“The mindset is totally different when you have him on the pitch.
“It was difficult to accept that we, again, had such an unlucky moment with so many injuries.”
PHILADELPHIA — The most recent version of the “Philly Special” was thrown by Carson Wentz, and it wasn’t weird at all.
The quarterbacks were going through individual drills at the Philadelphia Eagles minicamp Wednesday. Assistant coaches and trainers ran into the flat as the QBs worked on their three-step drops. But when Wentz’s turn came up, Nick Foles stepped in and ran the route, which mirrored his path during the now-famous fourth-and-goal touchdown catch against the Patriots that helped propel the Eagles to their first title in 57 years.
Nick Foles admitted he has a “different dynamic” with Carson Wentz after what happened last season, but their friendship and honesty with each other have helped them avoid any tension. Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
One of the most memorable images from the Super Bowl celebration in Minneapolis is of Wentz with his hand affectionately on Foles’ head, both players gripping the Lombardi Trophy while being showered with green and white confetti. A less circulated image is the one of Wentz sitting at his locker stall a few moments later, doubled over with his head near his knees as “We Are the Champions” played over the loudspeaker. After a word from a teammate, Wentz rose, wiped his face and continued congratulating his teammates.
It’s hard to know exactly how much it hurt him to not be on the field that day and deliver the city its first-ever Super Bowl win himself, but placing yourself in his shoes quickly gives you an idea of the type of emotions that must have pulsated through him, and perhaps pulsate through him still.
All of this makes the breeziness of their interactions all the more striking. At one point Thursday, on the last day of minicamp, Wentz, Foles and the rest of the quarterbacks had a friendly accuracy competition to see who could hit the crossbar in the fewest amount of throws, the group smiling — and maybe busting some chops — along the way. A beat earlier, Wentz and Foles stood side-by-side as Nate Sudfeld worked the offense and simultaneously raised their arms above their heads like twins when Sudfeld dropped a dime into the corner of the end zone. They’re sharing a locker wall, sharing reps, and in some ways, sharing the allegiance of their teammates, and yet signs of any tension in their relationship are hard to detect.
“I think the big thing is we’re honest with one another, and our friendship has always come first,” Foles said. “I know at times when he’s injured and watching me play, that’s difficult, but at the same time, he’s always been extremely supportive.
“It’s definitely a different dynamic, but at the same time, it wouldn’t work if him and I weren’t such great friends and understanding of each other. That’s a big piece of it that people don’t probably understand, because it gets a little tricky — but not for us because we’re handling it like men in the locker room. At the end of the day, we want the team to be successful whoever is back there at quarterback.”
Sudfeld likened the quarterbacks to brothers. They bust each other’s chops and are highly competitive, whether they’re throwing darts, playing Pop-A-Shot in the locker room or out on the practice field.
“Nick is kind of the older guy, a little more laid back than Carson,” Sudfeld said. “We can joke with each other and talk about music or talk about just random stuff.”
They also share a mutual faith, which Wentz believes has been the key to keeping their bond strong in unique circumstances.
“That kind of just breaks down every barrier, every wall,” Wentz said. “We realize there’s so much more to this life and such a bigger purpose out there than arguing over a lot of little things.”
Wentz was a top candidate for league MVP last season before tearing the ACL and LCL in his left knee against the Los Angeles Rams in December. He finished second in the NFL with 33 touchdown passes and led the team to an 11-2 record, positioning the Eagles as the No. 1 seed in the NFC. After a rocky start, Foles caught fire during the playoffs, completing 73 percent of his passes and throwing six touchdowns to one interception, including three TD strikes in Super Bowl LII.
The Eagles quarterbacks shared a moment after their Super Bowl victory, and that bond has continued through offseason work this year. AP Photo/Frank Franklin II
Foles is now an icon in Philadelphia. He recently joked about the awkwardness of meeting a fan who had Foles’ face tattooed across his entire back. He’s held in high esteem by owner Jeffrey Lurie and the front office and has the full respect of his peers. Starting right guard Brandon Brooks even restructured his contract so the Eagles could give Foles a new deal this offseason.
Still, there is no haziness when it comes to whose team this is.
Wentz opened some eyes during offseason workouts. He looks more mobile and participated more than expected. The goal for a return remains Week 1.
Foles can earn $500,000 per game under his restructured contract, which includes $14 million worth of incentives and a mutual option for 2019. He’ll be rewarded if he does end up playing a significant amount this year and will have the opportunity to find a starting gig next season.
“You want what’s best for the team,” Foles said. “Ultimately, Carson is getting ready to play. He’s getting healthy. But at the same time, I’m ready to go out there and play. I think I’ve shown that. But it takes more than one person to make a team. That’s what’s beautiful about this team.
“Everyone puts their egos to the side when they walk into this building. They’re all working for the Philadelphia Eagles. I think that’s why we have something so special here.”
