Cristiano Ronaldo looks to be winning his battle to be fit for Real Madrid's Primera Division meeting with Athletic Bilbao on Sunday. The Portugal winger grabbed a double in Tuesday's 3-2 Champions League defeat to Galatasaray, giving Jose Mourinho's side a 5-3 aggregate win to set up a semi-final against Borussia Dortmund. Ronaldo picked up an injury late on in Turkey and sat out of Thursday'...Full Story »

Essien has been keeping an eye on his official employers throughout his time in Spain, and insists they can still finish the season with a flourish. He added: ‘They can still win trophies in the cups this season, so people shouldn’t write them off yet. ‘I have followed Chelsea all season and although it hasn’t been as planned at the start of the season, I think itR...Full Story »

Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien, on loan at Real Madrid, admits it is a transitional year for the Stamford Bridge side, but says the Blues can still win trophies. Chelsea is into the semifinals of the FA Cup after defeating Manchester United 1-0 in Monday's quarterfinal replay and faces Rubin Kazan in the quarterfinals of the Europa League. While Essien concedes it is a season of change in We...Full Story »

Sergio Ramos believes that Real Madrid should reduce the burden on Xabi Alonso and sign another defensive midfielder of Sergio Busquets' calibre. Busquets, 24, has become a mainstay at Barcelona and acts as both a shield for the defence as well as the fulcrum for the side's attacks. He is also a rather unpopular figure at the Santiago Bernabeu and has earned criticism for falling to ground fa...Full Story »

Michael Essien: Back at Cobham for a short period Michael Essien has returned to Chelsea from Real Madrid to have treatment on a mystery injury. The midfielder is on a season-long loan at the Santiago Bernabeu, but this has been temporarily put on hold while Blues medical staff assess his condition. Essien has been out for three weeks with what was believed to be a standard injury, although R...Full Story »

Michael Essien's loan spell with Real Madrid has been provisionally terminated to allow the midfielder to return to Chelsea and receive treatment for a side effect from medication stemming from an injury that has kept him out of action since Nov. 11. The Ghanaian is expected to respond better to rehabilitation with the West London club, which has dealt with his complex injury problems in the pa...Full Story »

Jose Mourinho: Real Madrid coach has responded to criticism of his decision to play Michael Essien at left-back Jose Mourinho has defended his decision to play Michael Essien at full-back instead of using Real Madrid's youth team and pointed out his use of Raphael Varane to prove a point. The Portuguese boss has been criticised for not utilising the sizeable number of defenders on offer to fil...Full Story »

Real Madrid midfielder Michael Essien insists his side will be looking for all three points when they take on Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday. Real are currently top of Group D after picking up maximum points from their opening two games, while Real are two points behind them in second. And while a point at the intimidating Signal Iduna Park is often seen as a goo...Full Story »

The Ghana international is enjoying life in Spain and is confident Los Blancos can ressurect their poor start to the season and retain their Liga crown Michael Essien says Real Madrid are "the greatest club in the world" and believes they are still capable of lifting the league title for a second consecutive season, despite an underwhelming campaign to date. The Ghana midfielder has gone str...Full Story »

Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira believes that he is still a key part of Jose Mourinho's squad despite the summer signing of Michael Essien. The Germany international has not been a first-team regular in the Spanish capital since the arrival of Essien from Chelsea, but he still feels he has much to offer to the reigning Liga champions. "The coach does not have a bad opinion of me, it is sti...Full Story »