Robinho will not be allowed to leave Real Madrid this season, club president Ramon Calderon said Sunday.
Robinho will not be allowed to leave Real Madrid this season, club president Ramon Calderon said Sunday.
Robinho reportedly wants to join Chelsea, which had a ?32 million (US$47 million) bid for the Brazil international rejected by Madrid last week.
The forward, who is under contract until 2010, was included in Madrid’s team on Sunday for its Spanish Supercup first leg at Valencia even though he had been reportedly unwilling to travel to the game.
“Robinho seemed very happy. He’s in the starting lineup and he’s certain to play with us this season. I say this with absolute certainty,” Calderon told Spanish channel Tele 5 just before the match. “He seemed very lively. He’s very happy and optimistic. The coach (Bernd Schuster) has told me he is training very well and the proof is that he is starting the match against Valencia.”
Calderon said that the Spanish champion would make no further signings this season. It has signed Netherlands midfielder Rafael van der Vaart from Hamburg and Argentine defender Ezequiel Garay from Racing Santander, although the latter will be loaned back to Santander this season.
Calderon also referred to Madrid’s failed attempt to lure Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United.
“He’s a player with another club and they don’t want to sell him,” he said. “Many clubs want our players and we don’t sell them. Cristiano said he wanted to play for us, which we received with pride and satisfaction.”
Madrid was seeking its eighth Supercup trophy - and its first since 2003 - in the curtain raiser for the Spanish season at Valencia. The second leg will be played at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Aug. 24.
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Manchester City striker Valeri Bojinov is facing another long-term injury layoff after damaging his Achilles’ tendon ahead of Sunday’s season opener against Aston Villa.
Bojinov fell to the ground during the pre-match warmup, and manager Mark Hughes said he will be sidelined until next year.
“It looks like Valeri has snapped his Achilles and will be out for six months. It is a huge blow for the lad,” Hughes said after the 4-2 loss to Villa.
Bojinov was one of eight preseason signings brought in last year by former manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, but the Bulgaria striker injured a knee ligament in his third game and missed the rest of season.
“We are all desperately disappointed for him,” Hughes said. “This has come on top of being out for a year already.”
