Manchester United fans will doubtless be pleased by Wayne Rooney’s latest comments pouring cold, or at least lukewarm water on the idea that he might move to Barcelona, or anywhere else for that matter.

Good news for United it may be, but I’m not so sure it’s in England’s interests for so few of the country’s leading players to try their luck abroad.

Whenever this subject comes up, I can’t help but look to the great strides made by Spain at international level, progress that must have been aided by the far more adventurous attitude taken by some of their players in recent times.

Spain used to have a similar reputation to England in this regard, with virtually everyone happy to stay at home and enjoy the riches available from clubs swimming in cash from huge TV rights deals. Heading into the 1998 World Cup, every member of the Spain squad played for a Spanish club, while four years later Gaizka Mendieta was the only export (and he was about to come home, after confirming a lot of prejudices in a nightmare season with Lazio).

Fast forward to Euro 2008, where a Spanish squad featuring Pepe Reina, Alvaro Arbeloa, Xabi Alonso, Fernando Torres (all Liverpool) and Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal) swept all before them.

Perhaps it’s a coincidence, but I suspect not. In the past, tensions always seemed to rise in the Spanish camp as long tournaments wore on (I covered them at Euro 2000, the 2002 World Cup and at Euro 2004) but last year there was a new confidence about them.

Wouldn’t it be beneficial for England if their better players spent some time abroad, learning new languages, experiencing different cultures and absorbing new ideas?

I’m not specifically talking about Rooney, who I’m sure will go on and achieve even more at United. But would it really be so bad if players like him followed the example of Steve McManaman and David Beckham and tried something different.

PHOTO: Steve McManaman lifts up the European Cup at Madrid’s landmark Cibeles fountain May 25. Real Madrid beat Valencia 3-0 in the Champions League final at the Stade de France in Paris May 24 to secure their eighth European title.

Real Madrid and coach Manuel Pellegrini were on the business end of some damning newspaper headlines on Wednesday after their humiliating exit from the King’s Cup at the hands of third-tier Alcorcon.

In the build-up to the match, Kaka suggested pride and the club’s history would inspire the players to a dramatic comeback from the 4-0 away defeat in the first leg.

But Real only managed to win 1-0 on the night at the Bernabeu and crashed out to the tiny Segunda B side, who play in the same division as Real’s youth team and have an annual budget more than four hundred times smaller than the La Liga giants.

Even the Madrid-based sports papers showed no mercy, as club and fans woke up to the fact that their expensively assembled squad can no longer match the title treble of Champions League, La Liga and King’s Cup achieved last season by their arch rivals Barcelona.

“Complete disaster,” screamed the headline in As.

“Unprecedented farce,” bellowed Marca above a picture of the celebrating Alcorcon players. The paper said it refused to put any photos of Real on the front page as they did not deserve it.

Fans chanted for Pellegrini to quit when he brought on defender Marcelo for midfielder Lassana Diarra with around 20 minutes left and the Madrid papers focused much of their ire on the hapless Chilean.

Why were the uninspiring midfield pair of Mahamadou Diarra and Fernando Gago included in the starting lineup and striker Karim Benzema and creative midfielders Xabi Alonso and Guti left out of the squad altogether, asked Delfin Melero in Marca.

“The final whistle made possible an unprecedented situation,” Melero wrote. “The Bernabeu booed its own team and coach and gave an ovation to Alcorcon, a team with spirit that demonstrated to Madrid that without pride and without a plan you’re going nowhere.”

Tomas Guasch, writing in As, said it was “completely unacceptable” that Pellegrini had changed the starting lineup he used for the previous three matches and was beginning to gel.

“And that there wasn’t a single forward on the bench is absolutely unacceptable too,” he added.

El Mundo columnist Orfeo Suarez noted that Real president Florentino Perez was not known for his loyalty to coaches and said the spectacle of the fans calling for Pellegrini’s head did not bode well for the Chilean.

“Madrid will make an effort to back the coach and quickly turn the page but wounds left behind can fester,” he wrote.

Many papers did not miss the irony of an appearance by Perez on television earlier on Tuesday in which he played down the club’s trophy expectations this season.

“We are at the start of a new project. We are giving it stability,” the construction magnate told Cuatro. “We aren’t going to get nervous because it hasn’t all come together perfectly in the first year.”

PHOTO: Real Madrid’s Kaka reacts during their King’s Cup soccer match against Alcorcon at the Bernabeu stadium in Madrid November 10, 2009. REUTERS/Juan Medina

Gonzalo Higuain reminded Manuel Pellegrini of his worth at the weekend, scoring both goals for 10-man Real Madrid in their 2-0 victory over Getafe.

The Argentine youngster was Real’s top scorer with 22 league goals last season, but was making only his third start in nine league games on Saturday.

Higuain has found his chances limited with the arrival of president Florentino Perez and his new batch of Galacticos including Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and Karim Benzema.

He also has to compete with the experienced heads of Raul and Ruud van Nistelrooy.

“We’ve had to integrate Benzema, Ronaldo and all the others into the team,” coach Manuel Pellegrini said after the Getafe game.

“I am sure that this season Higuain will have a major role to play again. For me he is a fundamental player.”

Higuain has pace, loves to run at defenders, and is not afraid of shooting from distance, but against Getafe he showed one of his most valuable assets which is a gutsy ability to score important goals in high-pressure situations.

The Getafe game was a tense affair at the Bernabeu where defeat could have signalled the end for Pellegrini, and the team had to endure a disgruntled home crowd after their humbling 4-0 King’s Cup defeat to third-tier Alcorcon.

Last season, in the same fixture, Higuain scored a screamer in time added on to give Real a 3-2 victory. His strike came as scuffles broke out all around him following Pepe’s spectacular loss of control that led to him getting a 10-match ban.

In 2008 he scored the goal that delivered Real’s 31st league title, when Bernd Schuster’s side came back with 10 men to beat Osasuna 2-1 away.

The year before that, he completed the remarkable comeback from 3-0 down against Espanyol, netting in the last minute for a 4-3 win that proved to be a psychological turning point in Fabio Capello’s title winning campaign.

After being overlooked by Argentina, Diego Maradona finally threw him on for his first cap against Peru last month and Higuain rose to the challenge scoring the first in a 2-1 win.

Higuain may not sell as many shirts around the world as the players in front of him at Real Madrid, but his fighting spirit should keep them on their toes.

PHOTO: Real Madrid’s Gonzalo Higuain (R) fights for the ball with Getafe’s Cata Diaz during their Spanish First Division soccer match at Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid October 31, 2009. REUTERS/Dani Cardona

Franck Ribery’s knee injury has flared up again and the problem could not have come at a worse time for Bayern Munich.

Ribery picked up the injury in pre-season training at the height of Real Madrid’s efforts to sign him.

He has played only a handful of matches, his last three weeks ago, and now he is out again, for at least a month, maybe more. He will likely miss France’s World Cup qualification play-off against Ireland and by the time he returns for Bayern there won’t be many matches left before the long mid-season break.

This raises the question: does anyone at Bayern regret not selling the player to Real?

They could certainly have done without another injury saga. Frustrated 30-million-euro striker Mario Gomez has been relegated to the bench, Dutchman Arjen Robben and Mark van Bommel are only just recovering from injury, Anatoliy Tymoshchuk is reportedly unhappy in Munich and emotions seem to be running high after Thomas Mueller and Daniel van Buyten were both sent off in the Champions League defeat by Bordeaux this week.

It is not the start coach Louis van Gaal had envisaged. So would they they have been better off with Ribery sold to Real and many millions in the bank?

PHOTO: Bayern Munich’s midfielder Franck Ribery reacts during the Champions League game against Juventus in Munich September 30, 2009. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle

Liverpool’s run of four straight defeats has generated a lot of discussion about what has gone wrong, but precious little about how to put it right, aside from the suggestion that it might be nice to see Kenny Dalglish back in the dugout.

So let’s leave aside for a moment Rafa’s handling of big players and whether he should have kept hold of Sami Hyypia and Xabi Alonso, and consider what the club’s next moves should be.

As many have noted, without Fernando Torres they look impossibly ordinary in attack, and when Andriy Voronin was brought on with a few minutes to go against Lyon it seemed to many fans an indictment of the Spanish coach’s transfer dealings.

Certainly Liverpool could do with another top class forward but with money short the chances of them landing David Villa or someone similar in the transfer window are remote. And in any case, I’m not sure pitching in a player like Villa at the halfway stage of the season would provide the answer.

What Liverpool really need is a player with a touch of gravitas, the sort of performer who can command respect from team mates and opponents alike, can put his foot on the ball, weigh up the options and give players around him a lift.

Arguably the best signing Gerard Houllier made, apart from Hyppia, was Gary McAllister. The Scot was 35 when he moved to Anfield yet he still had a profound effect on the team, playing an instrumental role in the run to the Cup treble of 2000-01 and, more importantly, the club’s first qualification for the Champions League.

How Benitez could do with a player cut from the same cloth. But where should he turn?

David Beckham might have been a solution — well, Michael Owen did sign for United, after all – but the England man seems set for another stint with AC Milan.

He is no McAllister, but in the absence of such a player Liverpool might consider making a bid for Rafael van der Vaart, a player with the same sort of quality on the ball and the experience of leading a team during his time at Hamburg SV.

He is currently warming the bench at Real Madrid and might jump at a chance to show what he can do in the Premier League.

But if not the Dutchman, who would you suggest? They certainly need to find inspiration from somewhere, as they contemplate the possibility of falling 10 points behind Manchester United on Sunday.

A memorable 3-2 victory for AC Milan at Real Madrid on Wednesday as much for the goalkeeping howlers as great play.

When Milan keeper Dida produced an all too frequent error to give Raul the chance to equal Gerd Mueller’s record of 66 goals in the three main European club competitions, it looked like a familiar story for a struggling Milan this season under new coach Leonardo.

It has been labelled a “Didaster” by Italian media but thanks to a stoming second-half performance, Milan pulled off a result even their most hardened of fans cannot have expected given their shaky start to the campaign.

But is it just papering over the cracks and were Real just too bad? Alexandre Pato scored twice, the first aided by Iker Casillas’s rush of blood, but otherwise laboured. Ronaldinho had another quiet evening on his return to Spain.

What the win did show is that Milan are at least finding a bit more grit and determination. They also conceded first in last weekend’s 2-1 win over AS Roma and fought back.

Milan’s problems are not fixed but Leonardo can dine out on the Bernabeu victory for a while.

PHOTO: AC Milan’s Alexandre Pato (2nd R) celebrates with team mates Ronaldinho (80) and Clarence Seedorf (R), as Real Madrid’s Marcelo watches, after Pato scored his 2nd goal during their Champions League match at Bernabeu Oct. 21, 2009. REUTERS/Juan Medina

One swallow does not make a summer, but Sevilla’s bristling 2-1 victory over Real Madrid on Sunday offers hope that the answer to the question posed in Thursday’s blog is ‘no’.

Three teams can challenge for the La Liga title this year.

Manolo Jimenez’s side inflicted a first defeat on Real with a vibrant, attacking display that was reminiscent of their performances under Juande Ramos when they won back-to-back UEFA Cups.

Sevilla are now level on 15 points with Real, though third due to their inferior goal difference. Barcelona are top with 18 points from six games.

Wingers Jesus Navas and Diego Perotti did the damage at the Sanchez Pizjuan, truly testing Real Madrid’s defence for the first time this season, but it was a strong all-round team performance.

They have strength in depth, are solid at the back and club president Jose Maria del Nido boasts: “the best strike force in Europe” with Frederic Kanoute, Luis Fabiano and Alvaro Negredo. They have now won seven on the trot in all competitions.

Real were without top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo due to an ankle strain, but it was the absence of first choice left back Alvaro Arbeloa that may have been more telling as Navas made a fool of his replacement Marcelo.

Once again, Real lacked fluidity in their play and it was the familiar figure of Iker Casillas who was their outstanding player, pulling off a couple of magnificent saves.

“Real reveal their shortcomings in the first serious test of the year. They have CR9 dependency. They continue to rely excessively on their stars,” Marca wrote on Monday.

Barcelona remain unbeaten after shaking off Almeria 1-0, but the Andalucians made life extremely difficult for them at the Nou Camp with their man-marking of midfield creators Xavi and Andres Iniesta.

“It wasn’t marking, it was an obsession,” Xavi said of Almeria midfielder Chico’s work on Saturday. “All he did was watch me. I felt very important. I told him ‘Why don’t you go and mark Messi?’”

It may not be pretty but it was effective, and as Espanyol and Chelsea showed last year an asphyxiating pressure on the midfield can throw Barca off their game.

“I hope it is a blueprint for a way to play against a team as powerful as Barcelona. I hope they respect my patent,” Almeria coach Hugo Sanchez said.

After six rounds of matches, La Liga could be about to get a bit more interesting with both Real and Barca showing chinks in their armour. Maybe it won’t be the most boring league in Europe after all…

PHOTO: Real Madrid’s Kaka (top) falls over Sevilla’s Didier Zokora during their Spanish First Division soccer match at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in Seville October 4, 2009. REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo

A few days ago, Real Zaragoza president Eduardo Bandres said: “The Spanish league will be a matter totally and absolutely between two teams, among other things because the system for distributing television rights determines that it will be this way. It is unique in Europe and because of this the Spanish league is one of the most boring in Europe.”

The television channels would beg to differ, as they regularly run adverts or open their coverage of matches from La Liga claiming it is the ‘best league in the world’ with clips of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Lionel Messi running in the background.

But Bandres has a point. Five games in, and the table has an all-too familiar look about it. There are only two clubs left with a 100 percent record – Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Who has scored the most goals? Real and Barca with 16 apiece.

Who has conceded the fewest? Real with two. Barca have let in three.

Which clubs have the most money? Real and Barca are both working on budgets of over 400 million euros, three to four times greater than their nearest rivals. They rake in around half of the money earned from La Liga’s television rights, which are not negotiated on a collective basis.

At least Valencia’s David Villa bucks the trend in the individual goal-scoring charts, topping the rankings with six, but second behind him with five each are Ibrahimovic, Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

There are four clubs expected to be mixing it at the top and competing for Spain’s other two Champions League qualification places: Sevilla, Valencia, Atletico Madrid and Villarreal.

Atletico and Villarreal are in the bottom three without a win from their opening matches, and are already 12 and 13 points adrift of Real and Barca respectively. Valencia have slipped down to seventh without a win in their last three outings.

Only Sevilla are putting up a fight, and they lie third with 12 points from a possible 15. They have a squad that boasts Frederic Kanoute, Luis Fabiano and Alvaro Negredo up front, with the likes of Jesus Navas, Diego Capel and Diego Perotti providing the bullets.

They have won six on the trot in all competitions and will provide Real Madrid with their stiffest test yet when Manuel Pellegrini’s side visit the Sanchez Pizjuan on Sunday. As things stand, this is Real’s most difficult league clash of the season outside of their home and away battles with Barca.

A victory for Sevilla could signal the start of a genuine challenge from the Andalucians, and add some much needed spice to the title race. A defeat would leave more people agreeing with Bandres.

PHOTO: Barcelona’s Lionel Messi celebrates his goal against Real Madrid, May 2, 2009. REUTERS/Juan Medina

An unusual headline in Spain’s El Mundo newspaper caught my eye this morning: “Real Madrid threatened by wizard.”

According to the respected conservative daily, the La Liga club has received a letter from the magician, whom it did not identify by name, warning that he has been contracted to cast a spell that would inflict injury on their Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo.

“I can’t promise that it will be a serious injury but he’ll certainly be out of action more than playing,” El Mundo quoted the wizard as saying.

He told the paper he was unable to reveal the identity of his client “because I am a mixture of priest and doctor and I have to respect the confidentiality of my followers.”

El Mundo said it was the third time the wizard had threatened Real after targeting players including David Beckham and Ronaldo (the portly Brazilian version) in 2003 and Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Fabio Cannavaro and Raul in 2006.

The wizard has apparently already begun the process of casting his spell over Cristiano Ronaldo using photos of the world record signing spread out around his “laboratory”.

“It’s a step-by-step process and depends on various factors so the result you are looking for is achieved sooner or later,” El Mundo quoted the wizard as saying.

He pointed out that Ronaldo’s run of a goal-a-game had ended against Tenerife at the weekend and he had been angry at being substituted by coach Manuel Pellegrini in the second half.

Real are not taking the threat seriously and have dismissed it as “the kind of craziness we deal with on a daily basis”, according to El Mundo.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on Ronaldo in the next few weeks but in the meantime can anyone think of anything similar happening in other leagues?

There are plenty of superstitious soccer players out there but someone being targeted by a wizard really is bizarre.

PHOTO: Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo reacts during their La Liga match against Tenerife at the Bernabeu, Sept. 26 REUTERS/Rafael Marchante

Having spent 250 million euros on reinforcements and with the final due to be staged at their own Bernabeu stadium, winning the Champions League is seen almost as an obligation for Real Madrid this season, at least by much of the Spanish media.

Kicking off their campaign, perhaps appropriately, in one of Europe’s most expensive cities, Real showed flashes of what may be to come, both in terms of attacking inspiration and defensive vulnerability, as they beat Swiss champions FC Zurich 5-2.

Cristiano Ronaldo was his old self, firing in two free kicks at decisive stages of the game, performing a few trademark shimmies and stepovers and remonstrating with the referee every time he was tackled by an opponent.

There were tantalising glimpses of the potential offered by his parternship with Raul and former World Player of the Year Kaka, although Real often gave the impression that they are still finding their feet with so many newcomers.

The unsung Gonzalo Higuain was just as influential as the Portuguese, setting up the second goal for Raul and scoring a superb third himself as he burst past a defender and then scored with a low shot into the far corner. It remains a mystery as to why Higuain has not been given a look-in by Argentina coach Diego Maradona.

Their defensive problems, however, show no sign of letting up. Having led 3-0 at halftime, Real had to sweat through the last 20 minutes after the unrated hosts scored twice in two minutes to bring it back to 3-2. Iker Casillas upended Alexander Alphonse to give away a penalty, they Silvio Aegerter was allowed to head in another at the near post.

Two late goals, including Ronaldo’s second free kick, gave the visitors a somewhat flattering win.

To put it into perspective, Grasshoppers, who may be forced to drop into the Swiss third division next season because of chronic financial problems, managed to put three past Zurich last Saturday and had a further goal controversially disallowed, although they conceded four in the progress.

One thing which money cannot buy is passionate support. The large contingent on Real fans sat silently through Tuesday’s match, stirring only with a few cries of Madrid after their team scored and a half-hearted version of Viva Espana late in the first half. Zurich’s South Curve never stopped singing, even when their team were 3-0 down.

Brian Homewood, Zurich

PHOTO: Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring during their Champions League soccer match against FC Zurich (FCZ) at the Letzigrund Stadium in Zurich September 15, 2009. REUTERS/Miro Kuzmanovic