Thursday, 2 June 2011

Real Madrid 2011-12 pre-season: 51,112 kilometers in 38 days

Real Madrid fans looking the team training in U.S.A.
Real Madrid 2010-11 Pre-season: Los Angeles

May be that since July 11, the least effort of the players of Real Madrid after the holidays will be the physical beatings on the field, taking into account the schedule of the 2011-12 pre-season. Jose Mourinho's team will travel a total of 51,112 kilometers in 38 days (from July 11 to August 17), undergo 73 hours and 21 minutes flight (not including time waiting in airports and passport control) and will play nine games (seven friendlies and two of the Spanish Super Cup against Barcelona) before the start of the season, the weekend of August 20-21. And the icing on the cake, with the season started, will be on August 24 with the Bernabeu Trophy against Raul's Schalke 04.

In fact, the coaching staff will have only 20 training days, in view of air travel, the days of match and the awkward FIFA time in between (August 8 to 11. International players will be concentrated with respective teams). This pilgrimage will be mandatory for all players in the template except for those who dispute the Copa America. Higuain, Gago and Garay could arrive after July 24 if Argentina reaches the final.

The first stage will be in the United States; 13 days, 20,893 kilometers and three friendly matches in three cities (Los Angeles, San Diego and Philadelphia). The next week will begin the European tour. Berlin and Leicester, but team will only travel to play the matches and, in principle, there will not be training outside Valdebebas; 6,636 kilometers on the old continent. And the first week of August there will be the Asian tour; 22,573 kilometers and two games in just seven days. The pre-season will end with Spanish Super Cup, playing on August 17 in Barcelona. "Only" 1,010 kilometers of travel. A trifle seeing that the circumference of equator is 40,076 kilometers...