He finished ahead of Oliver Kahn and Zinedine Zidane in the voting by national team coaches.
Real Madrid face Liverpool in the Champions League final in Kiev. Below are five key tactical factors that could affect the outcome of Saturday's match.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Real Madrid star striker Cristiano Ronaldo will travel with the team for the first leg of the Champions League semi-final clash against Manchester City after recovering from a thigh injury.
Gareth Bale will undergo ankle surgery next week to repair damaged tendons, Real Madrid said on Thursday. The Wales international picked up the injury during Tuesday's 2-1 Champions League victory at Sporting Lisbon. "Real Madrid Sanitas Medical Services have decided that Gareth Bale will undergo an operation following the traumatic dislocation of the peroneal tendons of his right ankle," La Liga leaders Real said in a statement.
'I'm not asking them to name streets after me, the only thing I ask is that they don't boo me here'
'To all of these heroic people: football thanks you, football remembers you and football supports you'
Here, Reuters Sport highlights five reasons why last season's double winners have collapsed.
Cristiano Ronaldo achieved another milestone in his Real Madrid career when he scored his 200th goal at the Bernabeu on Sunday but he looks like failing in his bid to become La Liga's top scorer for the third season in a row.
Meanwhile, Real Mallorca made a dream return to La Liga with a 2-1 victory over Eibar at the Estadi Son Moix on Saturday, less than two months after sealing back-to-back promotions to rejoin Spain's soccer elite.
Karim Benzema netted a second-half hat-trick as Real Madrid got back to winning ways with a 3-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao in La Liga on Sunday.
Barcelona finished three points behind Real Madrid last season but there is concern the gap between Spain's biggest two sides could be far larger this season.
Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale has expressed disappointment over the sacking of Rafael Benitez as a manager, saying that it was really sad to see him go. "I had a very good relationship with Rafa, obviously it was a big disappointment to see him go," Bale was quoted as saying by goal.com. Benitez was replaced by former French great Zinedine Zidane after just seven months in charge due to club's recent slump in form in the La Liga. Zidane's appointment seemed to be in favour of Real as they thrashed Deportivo La Coruna 5-0 in La Liga match.
Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty as Real Madrid and neighbours Atletico were held to draws leaving Barcelona with an eight-point lead at the top of La Liga and 13 matches left.
Real Madrid returned to the top of La Liga after winning a testing game at Osasuna 3-1 on Saturday.
Valencia forward Carlos Soler scored a hat-trick of penalties as his side beat La Liga champions Real Madrid 4-1 at home in an extraordinary match on Sunday.
Nadal, a Real fan despite his uncle Miguel Angel making over 200 appearances for arch-rivals Barcelona, was seen speaking to umpire Mohamed Lahyani about his team's 0-0 home draw with Real Betis on Saturday and was less than impressed with what he saw.
Barcelona beat local rivals Espanyol 2-0 in the Catalan derby on Saturday to maintain their 10 point lead at the top of La Liga, while Real Madrid scraped a 3-2 win against bottom side Huesca on Sunday.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino has reiterated his happiness at Tottenham Hotspur in some of his first public comments after he emerged as a leading candidate to replace Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid.
Hazard is set to be fit for the 'Clasico' against Liga leaders Barcelona
Former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola said bitter rivals Real Madrid were a 'spectacular' side after they won a record 13th European title in Kiev on Saturday.
European champions Real Madrid head to rampaging Borussia Dortmund for their Champions League Group F game on Tuesday in a frazzled state with their buoyant start to the season having been punctured by successive La Liga draws.
Kylian Mbappe's meteoric rise showed no sign of stopping as the France forward sealed the holders' 2-1 win against Denmark to send them into the last 16 of the World Cup on Saturday.
Real Madrid's 5-0 thrashing of Granada on Saturday equalled a Spanish record of 39 games unbeaten in all competitions. Reuters Sport takes a look at the factors behind their run.
Photos from the Champions League match played between Real Madrid and AS Roma at the Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday
The 30-year-old is out of favour with Real and manager Zinedine Zidane has said the club are "working on his departure".
La Liga leaders Barcelona moved 10 points clear with a 4-1 win at Real Betis on Sunday after second place Atletico Madrid slipped up at Athletic Bilbao on Saturday in a 2-0 defeat.
Real are unbeaten since February, winning 10 of their last 12 games. In contrast, Barcelona have won just two of their previous five in all competitions and were dumped out of Europe in midweek.
Atletico coach Simeone defends VAR for making football fairer
Used to relying heavily on one key player for their European glory in the past -- Michel Platini and Zinedine Zidane in the 1984 and 2000 tournaments respectively -- French fans have two talented players on whom to pin their hopes at Euro 2016.
Real Madrid's interim coach Santiago Solari says the squad are hurting but determined to turn around their dismal start to the season.
Gareth Bale returns to his former club on a one-year loan deal, with British media reporting that Tottenham Hotspur will pay 20 million pounds ($25.8 million) in wages and fees for the 31-year-old Wales forward.
Former Italy defender Marco Materazzi has joined Chennai in the new Indian Super League (ISL) following in the footsteps of former national team mate Alessandro Del Piero.
Real coach Zinedine Zidane left out Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale in a largely second-string side but not even the injection of youth could breathe life into his team until Asensio's late goal ended a run of three games without a win.
In Maximum City as the Wellness Ambassador of Kanakia Paris, a French-themed residential complex, the French football icon opened up about Real Madrid, Euro 2016 and the current France team among other topics. Bikash Mohapatra/Rediff.com was all ears.
American Charley Hoffman, helped by some brilliant iron play down the stretch, clinched his first PGA Tour title in four years with a one-shot victory at the $6.1 million OHL Classic at Mayakoba in Mexico on Sunday.
With his calm guidance, Ancelotti gave Vinicius the confidence he needed to flourish.
Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo needed to take time off and even miss games if he is to see out an arduous season after he limped off before the end of Real Madrid's 3-0 victory over Villarreal on Wednesday, according to manager Zinedine Zidane.
Real Madrid became La Liga champions for the first time since 2012 on Sunday with a 2-0 win at Malaga, denying arch-rivals Barcelona three consecutive league titles.
From comments about the healthy relationship shared between Barca trio -- Messi, Suarez and Neymar, to questions about his goal drought in away matches, an angry Ronaldo had the response to it all
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances