Actress reveals disappointing first date with Cristiano Ronaldo

HE may be a sporting hero, but it seems Cristiano Ronaldo could do with a few lessons in the love department.

British actress and glamour model Gemma Atkinson dated the Real Madrid star back when he was playing with Manchester United in 2007.

But the Emmerdale actress has revealed in a new interview that their very first date was about as unromantic as it gets.

“It was really, really glamorous,” she joked to Key 103 Radio.

“We just went to my house and drank cups of tea and watched Only Fools and Horses. Genuinely.”

“I don’t know if he’s into it now, but it was on the telly.

“Only Fools and Horses and cups of tea, he seemed to enjoy it then but I’m going back about six, seven years.”

Atkinson has previously spoken of their brief fling, telling the media in 2010:

“With Cristiano it was mad, because everywhere he went he was followed by photographers.

“When we did split up I got offered so much money to speak about him and I didn’t want that.”

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Cristiano Ronaldo's hat-trick against Wolfsburg was his 37th for Real Madrid - that's more than one every 10 games

Cristiano Ronaldo led Real Madrid to victory over Wolfsburg on Tuesday

He scored a hat-trick to overturn a 2-0 first-leg deficit in the Champions League quarter-final.

It was the 37th hat-trick of the Portuguese forward's Real Madrid career

To put it into perspective, Alan Shearer has scored more Premier League hat-tricks than anyone - with a total of 11  

Cristiano Ronaldo's hat-trick against Wolfsburg on Tuesday helped Real Madrid overcome a 2-0 deficit and earned his side a spot in the Champions League semi-finals.

Remarkably, it was his sixth hat-trick this season and the 37th of his dazzling career at Real Madrid.

The 31-year-old is as unstoppable as ever and the statistics behind his success are incredible.

His first hat-trick for Madrid was against Mallorca in La Liga in May 2010 and he has repeated the feat 36 times.

To put that into perspective, Alan Shearer has scored more hat-tricks in the Premier League than any other player - with a total of 11.

Robbie Fowler has nine and Thierry Henry and Michael Owen are next on the list with eight - Wayne Rooney has scored six. 

Ronaldo has scored five hat-tricks against Sevilla alone and has also bagged five goals in one game on two occasions, against Espanyol in September and Granada last April. 

After scoring three goals against Malmo in the Champions League in December, he joked with reporters about how many goals he could end up scoring for Real Madrid.

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Watch Cristiano Ronaldo hat trick Real Madrid vs Wolfsburg

Cristiano Ronaldo hat trick Real Madrid vs Wolfsburg

Cristiano Ronaldo's hat-trick against Wolfsburg on Tuesday helped Real Madrid overcome a 2-0 deficit and earned his side a spot in the Champions League semi-finals.

Remarkably, it was his sixth hat-trick this season and the 37th of his dazzling career at Real Madrid.

The 31-year-old is as unstoppable as ever and the statistics behind his success are incredible.

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"Nothing is impossible with Cristiano Ronaldo" - the Spanish press delights in Real Madrid's Champions League comeback

Real Madrid are in the Champions League semi-finals for the sixth time in a row after Cristiano Ronaldo's hat-trick handed them a 3-0 win and a memorable comeback at the Bernabeu.

"Is there anyone that still doubts Cristiano?" asked Emilio Contreras, chief editor atMarca as part of a thumb-blackening 22 pages of coverage of the game.

Their main match report, written by Santi Segurola, was titled "precision surgery" and chronicled an evening of "impeccable game management by Real Madrid."

"Wolfsburg did not have a chance worthy of the name... They not once worried Keylor [Navas]."

That's not strictly true, with Dante and Bruno Henrique both wasting great positions due to poor execution, but the Madrid press need little invitation to get carried away, even less on an evening like we witnessed at the Bernabeu last night.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, much of the praise was reserved for Cristiano Ronaldo, whose early double settled any Bernabeu nerves and late free-kick sealed his hat-trick and semi-final qualification.

Many of these eulogies focused on criticism Ronaldo has received this season:

"He who is never there, he who never turns up, the decadent footballer, the irrelevant forward, who doesn't press, who doesn't celebrate... once again was the difference between the good of qualifying for the semi-finals of the Champions League (of course, the sixth in a row) and the bad that would have been a quarter-final elimination.

"Cristiano again, once more him, another time the player that doesn't score quality goals. His hat-trick, the Nth that he has scored wearing this shirt, worth the price that serves for loading the train that heads direct to the undécima. "

The undécima , in case you were wondering, is 'the eleventh' Champions League trophy that Real Madrid are now, we are told, destined for.

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“We are confident and we will give everything on the pitch”, stated the forward, two days before the game against Wolfsburg.

Cistiano Ronaldo, top scorer in the Champions League with 13 goals, showed his confidence in turning around the knockout tie against Wolfsburg. Two days before the decisive game at the Bernabéu, the Portuguese sent fans a message via Realmadrid TV and Realmadrid.com: “Tuesday will be a perfect night, it will be magical, with your support us players will give everything on the pitch and we will get through to the next round. ¡Hala Madrid!”.

How to win against Wolfsburg
“We can win by playing well, with 11 players on the pitch, more players on the bench and the 80.000 people I would love to see fill the stadium supporting the team, because this will give us a tremendous boost. I hope that it will be a magical night and I am very excited. The team are confident, the coach has faith and the fans must also have faith. Tuesday has to be a magical night”.

The key to victory
“It must be a perfect night. All aspects are important. Those of us on the pitch need to run fight and play with intensity for 90 minutes. Obviously, with the fans helping and supporting us it will be easier for us. It is also important to remain calm in certain situations, we need patience and to know how to suffer for the win. The key objective is getting through to the next round. It is the only option that will allow usplayers and the fans to leave the stadium happy”.

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Slate on Soccer: Lionel Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo and USWNT vs. USMNT

Much like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning - two of the all-time greats in the NFL, for as long as Lionel Messi (22 goals, 10 assists) and Cristiano Ronaldo (30 goals, 11 assists) are both alive, they will always be compared and contrasted online, in living rooms, workplaces and bars around the world. After Barcelona’s surprising 1-0 loss to Real Sociedad on Saturday, Messi has now gone four matches without a goal (his longest stretch since May 2011) while Ronaldo scored a goal in Real Madrid’s 4-0 win vs. SD Eibar. The Portuguese star became the first player ever to score 30-plus goals in six straight La Liga seasons which is a pretty remarkable feat. 

USWNT Takes a Stand

The U.S. women’s national team is making plenty of news both on and off the field these days as five of their players recently filed a wage-discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission late last month. The disparity in pay between the U.S. men’s and women’s team (which is much more successful) is striking in 2016 when you could easily argue (with plenty of numbers to back it up) that the women’s team is both more popular and profitable than their male counterparts. Co-captain and defender Becky Sauerbrunn even suggested on Monday that her team could boycott the upcoming Rio Olympics this summer if their salary demands aren’t met by then.

The Beat Goes on for the UConn Women’s Basketball of Soccer

While it hasn’t quite reached the absurd level of the Huskies’ dominance in college basketball, the U.S. women have re-emerged as a superpower in world soccer with few peers that can come close to their peak level. They beat Colombia 7-0 last Wednesday in Hartford and 3-0 on Sunday in Philly. In 2016, Jill Ellis’ club is 11-0-0 and they’ve outscored opponents 42-1. Their next match - June 2 vs. Japan in Colorado - should provide much more of a test for the best women’s team in the world. 

Checking In With Some Talented American Players In Europe

 If you are a fan of the U.S. men’s team, two names that you should know are defender Matt Miazga (Chelsea) and midfielder Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund). You read that correctly, two young Americans are currently playing for two of the top clubs in Europe and really challenging themselves to get better (what a concept!) instead of choosing to dominate inferior players in MLS. The 20-year-old Miazga started for Chelsea in their 1-0 loss to Swansea City on Saturday while 17-year-old Pulisic started up front in Dortmund’s 2-2 draw with Schalke on Sunday. Keep it up guys.  

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UEFA Champions League: Real Madrid seek redemption for first-leg Wolfsburg humiliation

Real Madrid are determined to create an intimidating atmosphere for visitors VfL Wolfsburg as they try to overturn a two-goal deficit in Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

"Tuesday will be like a war, with 80,000 spectators; we are going to try and walk all over Wolfsburg," said defender Dani Carvajal.

"We're going to play to the death and with 80,000 souls behind us we will do it," added winger Lucas Vazquez.

Forward Cristiano Ronaldo told the club website (www.realmadrid.com): "We need to have cold hearts and play with patience and know how to suffer. Getting through is our big objective, it's the only thing that will let the players and fans leave the stadium happy."

Madrid are third in La Liga and enjoyed a 4-0 win over Eibar on Saturday to close the gap with leaders Barcelona to four points, lifting their confidence after the shock 2-0 defeat at Wolfsburg last Wednesday.

The German side are eighth in the Bundesliga and were held 1-1 by Mainz on Saturday. Coach Dieter Hecking made four changes from the team that beat Madrid and was without Julian Draxler, the outstanding player last week, through suspension.

Real, 10-times European champions, have a history littered with great comebacks at the Bernabeu, beginning with a 5-1 win over Derby County in the 1975 European Cup after they had lost 4-1 in England.

Madrid beat Inter Milan 3-0 to reach the final of the 1985 UEFA Cup after losing the semi-final first leg 2-0, when midfielder Juanito famously warned Inter: "Ninety minutes in the Bernabeu is a very long time".

Madrid also staged successful second-leg comebacks against Celtic, Anderlecht, Red Star Belgrade and Borussia Moenchengladbach but their reputation as miracle workers is waning and they last overturned a deficit in

2002 when they beat Bayern Munich 2-0 at the Bernabeu in a quarter-final second leg on their way to winning the trophy.

Since then, Madrid have lost eight first-leg games in the Champions League knockout stages and failed to progress every time, exiting last season's tournament to Juventus 3-2 on aggregate and managing only a 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund in the 2013 semi-finals after losing the first leg 4-1.

Yet Madrid's self belief remains strong.

"We're going to turn it around because everyone who comes to the stadium and follows us deserves it, our badge deserves it and we work all year for those big nights," said defender Nacho.

"Real Madrid's history was written on nights like these and I hope we can do it again on Tuesday," added director and former striker Emilio Butragueno, who played in the famous comebacks against Inter, Anderlecht and Gladbach.

Wolfsburg, though, are equally determined. "On Tuesday we'll be at 100 million percent, we're going to run as if our lives depended on it," forward Andre Schurrle told German news agency DPA.

"Since we beat Real Madrid the entire city has been talking about that game and the second leg. It won't be easy."

Madrid striker Karim Benzema and Raphael Varane were injured against Eibar but trained on Sunday and are expected to return to face Wolfsburg.

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Cristiano Ronaldo sets goal record as Real Madrid thrash Eibar, Fernando Torres lifts Atletico Madrid

Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to hit 30 La Liga goals in six consecutive seasons as he inspired Real Madrid to a 4-0 thrashing of Eibar on Saturday.

Elsewhere, Fernando Torres was on target again as Atletico Madrid triumphed 3-1 at Espanyol.

Ronaldo netted in the 19th minute and also provided passes for Lucas Vazquez and Jese to score as the hosts stormed into a 4-0 halftime lead.

James Rodriguez had opened Real’s account with a curling free kick in the fifth minute.

Real are third in the league on 72 points, one behind Atletico and four adrift of Barcelona who play Real Sociedad later on Saturday.

Coach Zinedine Zidane made eight changes to the team that suffered a shock 2-0 defeat at VfL Wolfsburg in the Champions League in midweek with only Ronaldo, Pepe and Casemiro keeping their places.

Brazilian right back Danilo was booed by the home fans for his disappointing display at Wolfsburg when he came on in the second half but it was an otherwise positive afternoon for Real who host Wolfsburg in their quarter-final second leg on Tuesday.

Rodriguez was criticised for being caught laughing on the sidelines in Germany in midweek but the Colombia international lifted the crowd by scoring early on, his first goal in just under two months.

A fine piece of skill from Ronaldo allowed Vazquez to pass the ball into an empty net in the 18th minute before the record-breaker finished off a cut-back from the lively Jese a minute later.

Ronaldo returned the favour for the 23-year-old in the 39th minute as Real made it 4-0.

Eibar’s top scorer Borja Baston hit the crossbar in a rare attack for the visitors who are 10th in the table.

Fernando Torres lifts Atletico Madrid

Torres bounced back from his sending-off in the midweek Champions League defeat to Barca by scoring his third goal in as many games, cancelling out Papa Diop’s opener in the 29th minute for Espanyol.

France international Antoine Griezmann grabbed his 20th league goal of the season to put the visitors ahead on 58 minutes and midfielder Koke sealed the points for Diego Simeone’s side with a close-range finish in the 89th.

Simeone made one change from the team that lost 2-1 at the Nou Camp, replacing Saul Niguez with Augusto Fernandez.

Torres hit the bar early on but Senegal midfielder Diop headed Espanyol in front from a corner.

The former Chelsea and Liverpool striker equalised by converting a pass from Koke.

Torres was then also involved in the other goals by Griezmann and Koke.

- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/cristiano-ronaldo-sets-goal-record-as-real-madrid-thrash-eibar/#sthash.vO8EYSYZ.dpuf

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Oliver Kahn reveals he's "seen more of Cristiano Ronaldo's six-pack than his wife's breasts" lately

The internet went mad after Real Madrid uploaded a photo from their dressing room after their victory in El Clasico - mainly because it featured Cristiano Ronaldo in just his pants.

And while we have many questions that need answering about that photo, one individual genuinely was mad about it. Furious, in fact. Step forward Mr Oliver Kahn .

Speaking to German broadcaster ZDF, Kahn said, "Lately, I've been seeing more of Cristiano Ronaldo's six-pack than my own wife's breasts."

What. A. Line. Suffice to say that Oliver Kahn is not impressed.

Now, we've never seen Mrs Kahn's breasts and we very much doubt you have either (if you're saying you have, we'll happily call you a liar. Unless it's you reading, Oliver, in which case we're very, very sorry and please don't come over and beat us up).

But we see where he's coming from on the whole Ronaldo showing off thing.

And here - why is he showering outside? SURELY Ronaldo can afford a holiday which allows him the chance to shower indoors? You're just doing it for the sake of it.

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