Temporary Real Madrid first-team manager Santiago Solari waves during a training session at the Ciudad Real Madrid training facilities as he prepares his team to take on Melilla in the Copa del Reyon Wednesday. AFP

Santiago Solari takes charge of first Real Madrid training session - in pictures



Santiago Solari took charge of his first Real Madrid training session on Wednesday since being placed in temporary charge following Julen Lopetegui's sacking.

Lopetegui was sacked late Monday just three months into his first season in charge after the Spanish giants were beaten by arch rivals Barcelona 5-1 over the weekend.

Solari has been in charge of Real's B team, known as Castilla, since July 2016 and will be at the helm for Wednesday's when they travel to Melilla, the tiny Spanish enclave in north Africa, for a Copa del Rey match.

Argentine Solari, a left-sided midfielder, was born in Rosario, and started his playing career at River Plate before signing for Real's arch rivals Atletico in January 1999. They were relegated the following season and he subsequently moved to the Bernabeu where he spent five years, winning La Liga in 2000-01 and 2002-03 and the Uefa Champions League in 2001-02.

Solari worked with first-team players including Gareth Bale, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and Marco Asensio at the Ciudad Real Madrid training facilities in the Madrid suburb of Valdebebas.

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Read more:

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Santiago Solari: Who is the new Real Madrid caretaker manager?

Gallery: Real Madrid's 18 managers in 20 years as search begins for No 19

Real Madrid sack manager Julen Lopetegui after poor run of results

El clasico takeaways: Lights out for Julen Lopetegui, but Real Madrid players have let him down

Tuesday's fixtures
Group A
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
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Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year.

 

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Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across Government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse.

 

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Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances.

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Nepotism is the name of the game

Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad. 

 

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