Real Madrid round-up: busy month ahead, Bale, Ramos...
Raúl collected his first piece of silverware as a coach with Madrid's U16s on Sunday and first team captain Sergio Ramos reached a new milestone.
Fixtures pile-up
Real Madrid have a busy month ahead with five matches scheduled for the second half of September. Due to the international break, the team won't be in action again until the 15th. Madrid are guests of Athletic Club in Week 4 of LaLiga then begin their defence of the Champions League at the Bernabéu four days later against Roma. Another home game follows - against Espanyol on Saturday 22nd then Lopetegui's team are on the road again with a mid-week match away at Sevilla on the 26th. Three days after that, it's the Madrid derby at the Bernabéu on the 29th.
Bale gets into the groove
Gareth Bale is on a roll. His volley against Leganés at the weekend was the ninth time he's hit the back of the net in his last 10 games. It's the first time he's come close to averaging a goal per game since he joined Madrid. In total, it has taken him 28 shots on target to see 10 enter. He is also managing his best goal scoring figures in LaLiga, having been on target in five consecutive league games - Celta, Villarreal (last season), Getafe, Girona and Leganés.
Ramos chalks 400th career win
Saturday's 4-1 home victory against Leganés was Sergio Ramos' 400th at club level. The Madrid captain was on the winning side 27 times during his time at Sevilla and has toasted 373 victories since his move to the Bernabéu 13 years ago in 2005. It has taken Ramos 628 games to reach 400 wins - the first was Sevilla's 1-3 win away at Real Murcia in February 2004 (he came on as a late sub for Dani Alves). The 32-year-old isn't too far off another career milestone - he needs another seven goals to reach three figures. In total, he has scored 93 goals at professional level - 3 for Sevilla, 77 for Real Madrid and 13 for Spain.
Lopetegui in Nyon
Julen Lopeteguiwill be one of the 12 coaches attending the XX UEFA Elite Club Coaches Forum in Nyon, Switzerland tomorrow. Other coaches who will be discussing current topics and major issues in the game at the House of European Football include Massimiliano Allegri, Carlo Ancelotti, Rafa Benítez, Unai Emery, José Mourinho, Thomas Tuchel and Arsène Wenger.
Raúl wins first trophy as a coach
New Under-16s coach Raúl could not have enjoyed a better start to his managerial career as his team lifted the Sant Gabriel trophy after beating Barcelona U16s 2-0 on Sunday. Raúl's team kept a clean sheet on their way to the final, beating Girona, Shimizu S-Impulse and Espanyol in the qualifying rounds.