<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?><oembed><version><![CDATA[1.0]]></version><provider_name><![CDATA[following Real Madrid...]]></provider_name><provider_url><![CDATA[https://unamadridista.wordpress.com]]></provider_url><author_name><![CDATA[unamadridista]]></author_name><author_url><![CDATA[https://unamadridista.wordpress.com/author/unamadridista/]]></author_url><title><![CDATA[the readers submissions&nbsp;post]]></title><type><![CDATA[link]]></type><html><![CDATA[<p>Thank you to everyone who sent things in!  Let&#8217;s get started&#8230;</p>
<h2><span style="color:#0000ff;"><strong>Álvaro Arbeloa-Carlota Ruiz wedding photos</strong></span></h2>
<p>I had just mentioned Álvaro&#8217;s wedding in a previous post, and here we have photos from that event, courtesy of LaBlanca.  How beautiful is this couple?  View the rest <a href="http://www.rafaelpalacio.com/blog/article/38/boda-alvaro-arbeloa-y-carlota-ruiz">here</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://i762.photobucket.com/albums/xx268/unamadridista/unamadridista4/arbeloaboda17.jpg"><img class="alignnone" src="https://i2.wp.com/i762.photobucket.com/albums/xx268/unamadridista/unamadridista4/arbeloaboda17.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a><a href="http://i762.photobucket.com/albums/xx268/unamadridista/unamadridista4/arbeloaboda27.jpg"><img class="alignnone" src="https://i0.wp.com/i762.photobucket.com/albums/xx268/unamadridista/unamadridista4/arbeloaboda27.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a></p>
<h2><span style="color:#0000ff;"><strong>Pipita&#8217;s dream comes true</strong></span></h2>
<p>Andrea Paola sends this video of Gonzalo Higuaín as a kid, saying that he wants to go to Real Madrid.  She recorded it off her TV!  See, dreams do come true!</p>
<p><!--more--></p>
<p><span class="embed-youtube" style="text-align:center; display: block;"><iframe class='youtube-player' width='640' height='360' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/vNGziWX68oY?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;autohide=2&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;wmode=transparent' allowfullscreen='true' style='border:0;'></iframe></span></p>
<p>Here&#8217;s the same video from Mokia, which also includes one of Pipita&#8217;s brothers talking.</p>
<p><span class="embed-youtube" style="text-align:center; display: block;"><iframe class='youtube-player' width='480' height='390' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/d2u3oN_S94g?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;autohide=2&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;wmode=transparent' allowfullscreen='true' style='border:0;'></iframe></span></p>
<h2><span style="color:#0000ff;"><strong>Our worst enemy</strong></span></h2>
<p>Fátima says this &#8220;is probably really stupid, but I cannot stop laughing.&#8221;  Go <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/ikersundershirt">here</a> to see what it is!</p>
<h2><span style="color:#0000ff;"><strong>Isabella on Madrid&#8217;s players</strong></span></h2>
<p>Isabella was in Valdebebas a couple of weeks ago, and she got to meet some of the players.  She says, &#8220;Some things I will say are not nice, but I will   be careful because I know how many fans are here and I don’t want to   hurt anybody’s ‘imagination’ of a particular player.  There is also information that I will and I must keep to myself for   various reasons. Therefore I may not be able to answer all questions   that you might have.&#8221;  Here&#8217;s her report.</p>
<p><strong>Manu Adebayor</strong> – unfortunately, nothing nice to say here; he was signed for Madrid two      months ago and already acts like an offended diva. He mercifully agreed to      say a few words for me in French although it was more like ‘yes’ ‘no’      answers than a conversation. It do not consider it a ‘bad mood day’ because as far as I’ve been told he      acts like this all the time. Moreover, he completely ignores the fans.</p>
<p><strong>Raúl Albiol</strong> –      he looks much better in real life than on TV, very positive overall      impression.</p>
<p><strong>Karim Benzema</strong> – one of the nicest players in the whole team; he acts humble, he’s always      ready for an interview, gives you all the time you need, agrees to photos,      gives autographs to the fans: I remember a quiet big group of French fans      waiting for him in the fan zone of Valdebebas, they literally threw      themselves at him and he didn’t say a word, posed for as many photos as      they wanted and gave a zillion autographs. I spoke to him in French but      his Spanish is quite good as far as I heard.</p>
<p><a href="http://i762.photobucket.com/albums/xx268/unamadridista/unamadridista4/MadridMar2011036.jpg"><img class="alignnone" src="https://i2.wp.com/i762.photobucket.com/albums/xx268/unamadridista/unamadridista4/MadridMar2011036.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a><a href="http://i762.photobucket.com/albums/xx268/unamadridista/unamadridista4/MadridMar2011068.jpg"><img class="alignnone" src="https://i1.wp.com/i762.photobucket.com/albums/xx268/unamadridista/unamadridista4/MadridMar2011068.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Álvaro      Arbeloa</strong> – after he gave me a personal  present (which almost made me pass      out) and a dozen of kisses I’ve  become platonically in love with him. I      don’t think it needs any  further explanation.</p>
<p><strong>Ezequiel      Garay</strong> – he’s a hottie for all the women who like black hair, earrings and       Hollywood white teeth; apart from that he’s rather distant, it’s quite       hard to speak with him, you need to force him to say anything.</p>
<p><strong>Gonzalo      Higuaín</strong> – three words that say all about him: he is fantastic; he has       beautiful eyes and he likes flamenco. I can even forget about his  terrible      teeth and bitten nails considering the sweet conversation  that we had.</p>
<p><strong>Iker Casillas</strong> – a classy, elegant man, very well behaved with women, likes young girls      who ask for autographs (especially the blond ones as far as I noticed);      it’s a pleasure to speak to him. He’s very calm and measures carefully all      his words. Likes grey clothes and scarfs. The good news is that he’s able      to let go of his cell phone at least for the time of the interview. I was      thinking about Una all the time we spoke and I almost mentioned her to      Iker.</p>
<p><a href="http://i762.photobucket.com/albums/xx268/unamadridista/unamadridista4/MadridMar2011029.jpg"><img class="alignnone" src="https://i1.wp.com/i762.photobucket.com/albums/xx268/unamadridista/unamadridista4/MadridMar2011029.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a><a href="http://i762.photobucket.com/albums/xx268/unamadridista/unamadridista4/MadridMar2011031.jpg"><img class="alignnone" src="https://i1.wp.com/i762.photobucket.com/albums/xx268/unamadridista/unamadridista4/MadridMar2011031.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Sami Khedira</strong> – he speaks  perfect English and doesn’t like the attention.      Reluctantly agrees  for photos and interviews.</p>
<p><strong>Marcelo</strong> – he      listen to outrageous music, all right  maybe it’s too harsh, so to music      that is very loud and that I  didn’t like 😉 he has a tattoo on his right      hand finger,  unfortunately I didn’t have time to ask him what it is, but      it  looked like the first letter of his son’s name (Enzo?). He is very       patient with kids who tend to jump on him, but he gets very angry when  you      try to touch his hair.</p>
<p><strong>Jerzy Dudek</strong> –      I’m of  course a bit biased when   talking about him because he comes from my       country. He was the  only  player who called me ‘Miss’ and not ‘you.’  Very      kind to the  fans  and well… speaking Polish with him made me  so happy that      I  didn’t  pay attention to much else 😉</p>
<p><strong>Aitor Karanka</strong> – saying it in Sergio’s way: ‘super nice’ guy, very open, smiling, says      all the time nice things about Mou (it’s part of his job, no? 😉 adores      the fans (and a super plus to him for that!)</p>
<p><a href="http://i762.photobucket.com/albums/xx268/unamadridista/unamadridista4/MadridMar2011058.jpg"><img class="alignnone" src="https://i2.wp.com/i762.photobucket.com/albums/xx268/unamadridista/unamadridista4/MadridMar2011058.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a><a href="http://i762.photobucket.com/albums/xx268/unamadridista/unamadridista4/MadridMar2011043.jpg"><img class="alignnone" src="https://i2.wp.com/i762.photobucket.com/albums/xx268/unamadridista/unamadridista4/MadridMar2011043.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Ricardo      Carvalho</strong> – I got the impression that he  borrows sunglasses from Cristiano      😉 Besides, he’s a sweet pie,  seems a very gentle and loving person; of      course it may be just a  superficial impression but he was really sweet      with me.  Unfortunately, my Portuguese is pretty terrible so he spoke his       semi-Spanish and English with me.</p>
<p><strong>Pedro León</strong> –      he always has a very disgusted face expression which can be appealing. He      has an utmost respect for the fans (a huge plus here as well!).</p>
<p><strong>Sergio      Canales</strong> – the sweetest boy on earth who  drives a car that is ten times      bigger than him; I loved how he  adored my eyes.  He must shave however, because his facial      hair  does not suit him.</p>
<p><strong>Sergio Ramos</strong> – a bigger description here because I know you want to know as much as      possible about him. I spoke to him twice. It was difficult to get to him      but I managed. He’s very often surrounded by his assistants, PR      specialists, stylists or whoever they are. He’s rarely alone at      Valdebebas.</p>
<p>He wears      contact lenses that change his eye color. It is impossible to have two so      much different colors only because of the light. Once they are very light      brown, like nut or caramel (much like his hair) and another day they’re      almost black.</p>
<p>When I saw      him for the second time he had very short sleeves so I could see most of      his tattoos. Personally, I think they are very ugly (says a tattoo fan)      but it’s of course a matter of taste.</p>
<p><a href="http://i762.photobucket.com/albums/xx268/unamadridista/unamadridista4/MadridMar2011066.jpg"><img class="alignnone" src="https://i0.wp.com/i762.photobucket.com/albums/xx268/unamadridista/unamadridista4/MadridMar2011066.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="450" /></a></p>
<p>I got a sweet      kissing dedicated autograph from Sergio and we also have a nice photo      together. I also discovered his personal weakness, but I’ll keep that as      my sweet female triumph secret 😉 and oh, and I got him to speak English. He’s      very ashamed but he tries and he’s not doing bad.</p>
<p>A not-so-nice      remark at the end: it’s actually a warning to all SR fans; do not ever try      to throw yourself at him or force him to give you an autograph.</p>
<p>It took me      three days to figure out what his weakness is and therefore how to easily      get him to speak to me (it’s not enough to just ask, he’s a complicated      person). The first interview I got was a piece of trash, just like those I      got back in October at Las Rozas. You need to try harder than hard with      Mr. Ramos. It requires a good dose of observation spirit.</p>
<p>There is a journalist joke that I heard at Valdebebas: if you cut off Sergio Ramos’ head it flies because it doesn’t weigh anything, it’s completely empty.</p>
<p><strong>Bonuses:</strong> I saw Zinedine Zidane at Valdebebas (doesn’t his son train there?) but unfortunately I had no chance to speak to him. He looks amazing.</p>
<p>I found Cristiano’s house in La Finca. It’s nicely visible since there’s no fence 😉 I also found out that he has a <em>discoteca</em> there so he doesn’t need to go anywhere for fiestas. He also has a private DJ. Very comfortable solution.</p>
<h2><span style="color:#0000ff;"><strong>Pepe&#8217;s long lost twin?</strong></span></h2>
<p>Lexi Jessica says, &#8220;it&#8217;s not much but I think Pepe and actor/musician  Evan Ross look  quite similar, especially from some angles. Whenever I  watch the TV  series 90210 and Evan Ross appears on the screen, I&#8217;m  immediately  reminded of Pepe. Could just be me but you might see if  too&#8230;&#8221;</p>
<h2><span style="color:#0000ff;"><strong>Marcelo and Pedro León</strong></span></h2>
<p>Paul Galactico sends two articles he wrote for Bleacher Report.  The <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/607783-marcelo-beloved-galactico-real-madrid-gain-confidence-as-they-hunt-barelona">first one</a> deals with Marcelo and his rise to prominence, while the <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/625270-pedro-len-the-lion-ghost-of-real-madrid-his-haunting-of-jose-mourinho">second</a> is about Pedro León&#8217;s sticky situation.</p>
<h2><span style="color:#0000ff;"><strong>The Special One</strong></span></h2>
<p>Readers Kat and Christine both sent these two Grant Wahl articles about Mou.  First one <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/grant_wahl/03/17/mourinho.ferguson/index.html">here</a>, second one <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1182630/index.htm">here</a>.</p>
<h2><span style="color:#0000ff;"><strong>Fan art</strong></span></h2>
<p>Robbert Schefman is a graphic designer and he made these cool Real Madrid pieces!</p>
<p><a href="http://i762.photobucket.com/albums/xx268/unamadridista/unamadridista4/real4021024x768.jpg"><img class="alignnone" src="https://i0.wp.com/i762.photobucket.com/albums/xx268/unamadridista/unamadridista4/real4021024x768.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="450" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://i762.photobucket.com/albums/xx268/unamadridista/unamadridista4/Ramos_RobbertSchefmankopie1.jpg"><img class="alignnone" src="https://i0.wp.com/i762.photobucket.com/albums/xx268/unamadridista/unamadridista4/Ramos_RobbertSchefmankopie1.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="600" /></a></p>
<h2><span style="color:#0000ff;">The Xabi Alonso pose section™</span></h2>
<div>Regan says, &#8220;It seems President Obama has learned his football skills from one Xabi Alonso.  Or at least his posing while playing football.&#8221;  See what she&#8217;s talking about <a href="http://www.corrieredellosport.it/video//2011/03/21-30268/Obama+a+Rio+gioca+a+calcio+con+i+bambini">here</a>. <a href="http://www.corrieredellosport.it/video//2011/03/21-30268/Obama+a+Rio+gioca+a+calcio+con+i+bambini" target="_blank"></a></div>
]]></html><thumbnail_url><![CDATA[https://i2.wp.com/i762.photobucket.com/albums/xx268/unamadridista/unamadridista4/arbeloaboda17.jpg?fit=440%2C330]]></thumbnail_url><thumbnail_width><![CDATA[440]]></thumbnail_width><thumbnail_height><![CDATA[293]]></thumbnail_height></oembed>