SHE’S known as the female face of Liverpool TV in the UK.
And with her infectious energy in front of the camera, gorgeous looks and a footballing background to boot, Claire Rourke is quite simply the perfect ‘chica’ to front one of the EPL’S most-loved clubs.
Today, we’re delighted to have Senorita Rourke on board as our Official England Fútbolita!
“I am so excited! I love all the build up to football’s showpiece event and now that I am going to be part of it with Futbolita, it’s going to make it all the more entertaining,” said Claire, who started her career at Real Madrid TV.
And like Claire, you could be your country’s voice – updating the world on your nation’s progress – from team selection, opinions and spreading the excitement and cheer throughout the tournament.
Yes, starting from today, we are seeking passionate individuals to represent their countries as a “Futbolita de la Mundo”.
“I cant believe it just a few months away, it seems like we have been counting down to this one forever- maybe its because this is our (England’s) best opportunity for many years!” enthused Claire.
Claire’s journey started as early as 2005 when she landed a dream stint as one of the launch anchors at Real Madrid TV.
After graduating from university, she worked in the Spanish capital before accepting a job with LFC TV two years later.
Interestingly, Claire had considered a career as a footballer before she realized the many challenges that came with it.
“I started playing football when I was about 9 for my hometown team, I was lucky that they were one of the best Ladies teams in the country- The Doncaster Belles,” she recalled.
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Maxi Rodriguez may have been pictured smiling next to his new “Whatever” coach Rafa Benitez in recent days, but his last press conference for the Rojiblancos was full of emotion. Holding back his tears, Maxi spoke about how he’ll always remember his time at the club. Awwww.
“It was like home. I was always treated well (here) in good times and bad. I wish I could relive that at another club, but it will be difficult. I was treated as if I was at home, in Argentina”
“It was difficult to make a decision like this but I like challenges. Our paths (are) separate but football has a lot of memories and the memories will always remain. The only thing now is that I do not have to face (Atletico) in the Europe League.”
Nando The Man is a pretty shy dude as we’ve already established. But this ad spot he did for Pepsi is too epic for words and it makes you want to visit the nearest Toys”R”Us and pick from their vast array of light sabers. It also reminds us of the time when a kid poked us with a light saber at a department store and ran off laughing at the top of his voice. Gente, he was so cool!
Querido Nando, por favor, cortarse el pelo. La camiseta también tiene que ir a dormir ahora. (Please cut your hair, Nando. And your T-shirt needs to go to sleep now)
Denilson… onde você foi?! Maybe we haven’t been paying attention to him much, but what a goal against Standard Liege last night! It reminds you of Iniesta’s thriller in the Champions League against Chelski last season. Now now, we know Dunga doesn’t really call up the caras based in England, but perhaps he should now. After all, Gilberto Silva says he makes good soup (it’d better not be Campbell he’s referring to) and Denilson will be perfect for selecao bootcamp. By the way, Nasri était bien trop!
The other dude who deserves a Kinder Bueno is Fiorentina’s Peruvian striker, Juan Vargas for helping his side advance to the next round. Because of what he did singlehandedly, Liverpool are out of the Liga de Campeones… lo siento to hear that but it was muy ingenuo of them to think that anyone at this stage would do them favours. Don’t be sad tipos, “There’s always the Europa League!”
Victor Carretero para Real Madrid CF
Real Madrid need to stop imposing compulsory photos like these on their new signings! Greaseano, Kaka (and previously Higuain and The Ramos) had to entertain the cameras during their respective medical examinations. Well, truth be told, it’s all quite adorável and all you futbolitas shouldn’t be complaining!
Anyway, la nueva Madridista Xabi Alonso has expressed his happiness about being part of Perez’s project. Knowing Real Moneda, don’t expect to see him playing every week when the La Liga starts… unless of course Pellegrini finds a way to orchestrate the midfield equally.
“I wasn’t sure if signing for Real Madrid would happen, but I was pretty confident. I made the decision to leave some time ago and there was no better club to sign for. I need to thank Real Madrid for their confidence in me and this is the outcome I wanted. I am very happy,” said Xabi.
About leaving the Reds, he said : “(It was) very hasty. It all happened so fast and I didn’t have time to say goodbye properly. I will return to bid farewell as soon as I have a chance. I am very grateful to everyone. There will be time for a proper goodbye.”
Yeah, he’d better bring them cocktails and a pipe before Pepe Reina gets drunk. By then, it’ll be too late.
Futbolita and Fernando Torres / Photo © Gavin Foo
Following up on our previous adventure with the Foreignchester United squad, here’s a little bit on our Liverpool experience which took place a few days later… as promised. Lo siento para la retraso.
Firstly, we met our friend Lucas Leiva (who loved our newspaper article on him and sent us a text message about it!) He was painfully shy throughout the entire trip. Xabi Alonso was also pretty moody when we saw him and looked at us weirdly when we were exchanging hand signals with Lucas on the bus. Also, Rafa Benitez is the coolest entrenador we’ve encountered so far. Whenever we shrieked “Rafa, que huboooo?!!“, he’d wink, give us a thumbs up and reply.
The highlight for us was obviously speaking to Stable Boy Fernando Torres at a Carlsberg event. We were separated by a coffee table and had to kneel near the microphones to avoid hitting the TV cameras but we were face to face with hombre! Nando answered our questions in Spanish and even asked if we wanted a reply in English. And yes, he also spoke about Olala and Nora and said they were both very well and resting at home. Nando was polite and pretty normal, if you ask us! He laughed at everything around him and seemed really amused by all the attention.
Also, Pepe Reina is as loco IRL as he is with la seleccion. He’s really funny and someone needs to show him more love! Enjoy the photos. More under the cut.
Nando smiles for all you Futbolitas! / Photo © Futbolita
via AFP
Xabi looking suave in a suit there! Too bad this tale has nothing to do with his recent wedding to Nagore Aranburu.
Apparently, Potter Perez is pissed with all the speculation linking Real Moneda to Alonso. Apparently, Liverpool asked for £30million but no one in Spain is willing to meet that price. Alonso looked muito triste when we saw him a few days ago – clearly something’s happening!
“Some people obviously thought that because we said we wanted more Spanish players, they could ask for fees which don’t correspond to reality,” said Perez. “A year ago, certain players we’ve asked about would have cost less than half the price we’re being quoted now.
And here comes the quote of the year : “If necessary, we’ll find the Spanish players we would like for the squad in our youth system.”
Real Madrid’s youth system= Charlie’s Chocolate Factory dispensing wheat grains.
Foto de Hola
Altogether now….. awwwwww! What a lovely photo of Niño Torres and his daughter, Nora! Ignore the new papa’s hair though – it looks straight out of a 1970s-based comic featuring neon yellow pants. Olala looks exhausted but who cares? She is holding Luca’s future wife in his hands. Or will it be Benjie Aguero’s? Umm, the other option would be one of Raul The Great’s four sons. Ok ok, we’ll stop.
Anyway, here are some interesting facts : Nino’s wife, Olala, gave birth the ‘natural’ way to Nora. The bebe approximately weighs 3750g and the best part of it all? Nino says she’s the “best trophy” he’s ever received! There’s only one appropriate song now…
Photos via Hola
Diario Vasco
So apparently, Xabi Alonso got married too over the weekend and the ninas at ONTD Football have all the goods on the Liverpool star’s wedding here!
The bride is Nagore Aranburu, a Spanish actress. They’ve been dating for the last 9235 years and finally decided to tie the knot. Don’t you think she kinda resembles Penelope Cruz in some of the angles? We’re guessing that’s where the similarities end.
In other news, Silvio and Vesgo went to Pato’s wedding and Vesgo came dressed as a duck!
It sucks to play for third or fourth place… but at least you’ll get to enjoy the rest of your ‘trip’ knowing that nothing else can be done. Stable Boy Torres thinks there’s no such thing as ‘favourites’ in the Confederations Cup anymore. Yeah, because Spain were favourites and are now forced to play in the losers pool…
“I think the USA have a good chance of winning against Brazil,” he said. “In moments of great importance, there’s no such thing as favourites.”
Like his captain, Puyolita, Torres maintained that he isn’t thinking about the holidays. God, these Spaniards are too serious. Grab a Kinder Bueno already from Cescy’s backpack!
Torres added : “What matters to me is winning before leaving on vacation.”
We’ve been talking to Lucas Leiva in the past few days and never mind his lack of goals for Liverpool – mano is pretty awesome! He told us about hanging out with El Pato during their U-20 World Cup Days, hating the fish and chips in Liverpool, having “meat days” with the other Brazilian guys and how he was very happy to receive all his medals (but not the computer) back after his house was broken into last year.
Lucas also wants to be called up to Dunga’s squad for the Confederations Cup (and admitted competition there is tough – we all know that!) His English is close to perfect but unlike Fabregas, Lucas does not watch episodes of Desperate Housewives. He says when he has time for TV (which is rare), it’s sports all the way! Someone needs to send him DVDS of America’s Next Top Model immediately.
We’ll have more soon!
Señor Lucas Leiva is happy at Liverpool – contrary to reports published in the World’s most trusted newspaper. He was said to be exasperated that his lack of starts for the Reds would jeopardize his chances for the national team.
“I never thought about leaving Liverpool. I have three more years left in my contract and I am very happy here. Also, my girlfriend loves the city and everyone in the club supports me,” the midfielder said.
On hindsight, Leiva, who is a box-to-box midfielder, may find it difficult to feature in Dopey’s squad anyway. Don’t forget, we have Hernanes too!
Was that Cirque de Soleil on show at Anfield last night? Where was the pride, Royal Madrid?! There’s nothing left to say except with that highly pathetic performance, surely Liverpool deserved to go through.
El Capitano, Raul, has some post-match comments for all you dejected Futbolitas.
“We showed great enthusiasm in the game but we can only congratulate Liverpool because they proved to be a better team,” he said. “They have been better from the start and there’s no excuse (for us to let in the) first two goals from them.”
Perdone if the posts today come in a little late, we’ve been struggling to get over last night!
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_0a12IKZ3A]
As spotted at The Spoiler, here’s a video of Pepe Reina giving Iker Casillas some English lessons ahead of the clash later tonight!
We don’t feel very good about Madrid’s chances in tonight’s encounter against Liverpool but don’t let Sergio’s hopeless facial expression fool you into thinking it’s over!
Grandma Juande believes that his side are ready to turn the scoreline in their favour and Raul agrees.
“The possibilities and the options are there. We may have the disadvantage because we only have three days to rest while they would have had seven. But our desire is there and we can make anything happen. Besides, in these types of games, the psychological element far outweighs the physical factor,” said Ramos.
“We have a clear idea of what we have to do – score twice,” added Raul. “The other day we were hit strongly by the defeat (against Liverpool), but we know we are going to have our chances and we are not going to give up. We are capable of beating Liverpool at Anfield. Since the arrival of Juande Ramos we are more disciplined.”
If you’re like us and can’t stop watching those viral videos featuring Sr. Torres, than don’t despair. He’s been quite serious as of late and has stopped starring in gems promoting dodgy hair salons.
Instead, Stable amigo’s focusing on the futbol – particularly next week’s crucial second-leg fixture against Real Madrid.
“My ankle is better, but recovery is slow. I hope to be back against Real Madrid and Man United – two impressive games. The injury left me upset, and (I’m) not moving as fast as I expected. Anyway, I’m optimistic and I hope to play,” he said.
Good news for Real, perhaps?
Brazilian left wingback Marcelo has admitted that Real Madrid have been ‘left shaken’ after the defeat to Liverpool.
Yeah – they had better been given a million hairdryer treatments ‘Grandma Juande style’, even if it means stuffing fermented tofu into their mouths.
“The squad is not thinking about the game against Liverpool on Wednesday. The defeat did not please us but we need to rest and think about the next game,” Marcelo said.
Duh! It’s not supposed to please you, caras. Stop listening to “Funky Bahia” and get with the flow!
“We’re still optimistic and we do not feel that we’re at a disadvantage. We are strong and we will begin training in preparation for the next leg.”
Following the defeat to ‘Leerpool’ (no pun intended, it’s really the pronunciation by the sexy Spanish commentator we were tuned to last night), the players spoke to Grandma Juande and sporting director, Pedja Mijatovic.
“The coach told us we still have 90 minutes ahead of us and we need to raise our heads up high. We must train for a strong turnaround,” Marcelo said.
We’ll see, we’ll see.
Unbelievable! Madrid dominated the game last night, but Liverpool were the luckier ones. We can’t even bring ourselves to write this. Why are ‘Pool always the ones with the perpetual luck in the Champions League?!
Anyway, to be fair to the visitors, they posed some danger in the second half with Benayoun’s run ins. Robben was inspiring but as usual, too keen for personal glory to actually get the ball anywhere near the strikers. Raul and Higuain’s efforts were denied by Pepe Reina. Honestly, at the rate Madrid were going, they should’ve scored. Unfortunately, the defensive Liverpool (yawn) made things so utterly boring.
Benayoun’s strike in the 82nd minute capped the game for the unlucky home side. Well, there’s still the second leg …
On hindsight, Grandma Juande sounded quite pleasant during the pre-match conference. We’d love to ask him about the type of pasta sauce he buys from the supermarket.
We literally rolled out of our seats at this one.
Stable amigo Fernando Torres has admitted that he would like to be on the English Television show ‘Dancing on Ice‘ which shows celebrities learning the art of skating.
“The program is good and I love watching TV. There is a program called “Dancing on Ice” where a celebrity dances with a skater. It is very artistic and elegant. Sometimes a celebrity falls and is very fun. It must be difficult. One day, perhaps, you might also see me in the program,” he said.
There are so many things wrong with that statement, but we applaud Torres for staying true to himself. He probably fired his PR spokesperson. The question is… who’ll be his partner on the show?!
Pixie-faced striker, Huntelaar has spoken up about his pain about not being able to play for Real Madrid in the Champions League. You may recall Real Madrid’s ‘quest’ to field both cup-tied strikers in the European competition. But UEFA rejected their proposal and Real chose Diarra to face Liverpool instead.
“The worst is over but it will not be easy to watch the game on TV against Liverpool. It was very bad (when they chose not to field me) but I complied. It is a (harsh) reality because I know that I might have been on the field playing,” he said.
Huntelaar is obviously in pain – so we hope Charlie and the Chocolate Factory reruns can help to ease it a little.
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