Casemiro has crowned team-mates Luka Modric and Toni Kroos as "possibly the best two midfielders in the world".
Madrid ran out 2-0 winners over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Super Cup on Wednesday, thanks to goals from David Alaba and Karim Benzema.
Carlo Ancelotti stuck with the same line-up that had started against Liverpool in May's Champions League final, and midfield trio Casemiro, Kroos and Modric turned in a supreme display.
Modric, the 2018 Ballon d'Or winner, completed 53 of 57 passes (93 per cent) and laid on two chances for team-mates in Helsinki, while Kroos enjoyed 120 touches, completed 97 passes and gained possession nine times.
Only UEFA's man of the match Casemiro (10) bettered that latter figure, and the Brazil international also went close to a spectacular goal when he rattled the crossbar from long range on his weaker left foot – that shot was teed up by Modric.
The trio's performances led Carlo Ancelotti to highlight Madrid's experience as a crucial factor in their victory after full-time, and Casemiro knows he is playing with two of the best in the business.
"We know each other just by looking at one another," he told a post-match news conference.
"I've got an easy job, we're talking about Kroos and Modric who are possibly the best two midfielders in the world.
"There are things in football that cannot be explained, some things just happen in football. I hope we'll continue to be together for a long time to come."
While Madrid's thrilling 2021-22 Champions League triumph saw several energetic cameos by young midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, the 14-time European champions have further bolstered that area of the pitch with the recent acquisition of Aurelien Tchouameni from Monaco.
Casemiro welcomes the competition provided by the 22-year-old's arrival and has high hopes for the France international.
"It hasn't annoyed me, everyone knows about my character and loyalty for this club, I'll be working in the same way," Casemiro said.
"You only see the 90 minutes but I'll keep making sacrifices, including on the pitch and in training.
"I think Tchouameni is a top player, this club speaks for itself – everybody gives their all. All I can say to him is keep doing what he's doing, keep showing in training and do it out on the pitch."
Manchester United 3-0 Tottenham: Skinner's side stay perfect in WSL
Manchester United made light work of Tottenham as Marc Skinner's side continued their perfect start to the 2024-25 campaign with a 3-0 win.
Skinner's team moved level on points with Chelsea at the top of the Women's Super League thanks to goals from Elisabeth Terland and Maya Le Tissier on Sunday.
Terland, a summer signing from Brighton, opened her account for United with a quickfire double at the end of the first half at Leigh Sports Village.
The Norway international drilled in after Celin Bizet hit the crossbar, and the latter subsequently teed up Terland's second five minutes later.
United captain Le Tissier settled the contest from the penalty spot following Ashleigh Neville's handball just before the hour mark.
The Red Devils thrashed Spurs 4-0 in their last competitive meeting - the FA Cup final in May - and are now unbeaten in 11 WSL matches against them.
Indeed, this was their ninth win over Spurs in the competition, with United having only beaten Everton on as many occasions.
Data Debrief: United's pristine record
As well as picking up three wins from as many WSL matches, United are yet to concede a goal this season - the only team to have shut all of their opponents out so far.
Skinner continued his impressive record against Spurs, and is now unbeaten in his last eight meetings with them.
It has been a poor start for Spurs, meanwhile. After beating Crystal Palace 4-0 in their opener, they are now winless in three (D1 L2). Only in 2020-21 (0) have Tottenham had one or fewer wins across their opening four top-flight matches of a campaign.
Cafu and Dida back Vinicius for Ballon d'Or
Vinicius Junior deserves to win this year's Ballon d'Or, in the opinion of two Brazil greats.
Cafu and Dida were part of the Brazil squad that won the World Cup in 2002.
Vinicius was unable to inspire Brazil to glory at this year's Copa America, missing their quarter-final tie against Uruguay due to suspension, but has been in fine form for Real Madrid over the past 12 months.
And with neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo involved in the voting, there will be a new winner of the Ballon d'Or for the first time since Luka Modric collected the 2018 award.
Vinicius is among the favourites, and Cafu feels the award should go to the Madrid star.
"Yes, he deserves to win it, he’s had a great season," Cafu told Stats Perform at Festival dello Sport in Trento, Italy.
"The numbers he had last season were incredible. He deserves it for what he's done and what he will do in the future."
It was a sentiment echoed by Cafu's former national team-mate Dida.
He told Stats Perform: "Vinicius is a great kid, a great player, a top player. He did very well last year, he scored goals, he gave assists, that's why.
"If he wins, it's because he deserves to win it because he did very well, we hope he manages to win this Ballon d'Or."
Vinicius has directly contributed to 42 goals for Madrid in all competitions since the start of the 2023-24 season, scoring 28 times and laying on 14 assists.
Robert Lewandowski is the only player to have played for a Spanish club across all of that time to have registered more direct goal contributions (49 - 31 goals, 18 assists).
No player in Europe's top five leagues comes close to matching Vinicius for attempted dribbles (366), though the 24-year-old ranks seventh for dribbles completed (141).
Maldon High makes history as daCosta Cup second round takes shape
Maldon High secured their first-ever spot in the second round of the ISSA/Wata daCosta Cup football competition after a dramatic 1-1 draw with Green Pond High on Saturday at the Granville Community Centre. The result marked a significant milestone for Maldon, who will now advance to the second round along with six other teams, leaving only the best third-placed teams to be decided on Monday.
In a thrilling conclusion to their Zone A return game, Garth-Dane Bromwell gave Green Pond the lead in the 85th minute, putting them on course for back-to-back wins and a place in the second round for the first time since 2019. However, Maldon struck late to level the game and secure their historic qualification.
Defending champions Clarendon College also advanced from Zone H despite a 1-2 loss to Denbigh High, who avenged their earlier defeat and joined Clarendon in the second round. Denbigh’s victory was only their second-ever win over the multiple-time champions, further shaking up the group standings. Central High took the lead in Zone H after a 3-2 win over Lennon High, with Clarendon College now in second and Denbigh following closely in third, all with one game remaining.
Former champions Frome Technical, Rusea’s High, and St. Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) also secured their places in the next round. Stevaughn Spence was the star for Frome, netting a hat-trick in their 3-0 win over Anchovy High, which moved them to 23 points in Zone B. Rusea’s joined them in advancing after a narrow 1-0 victory over Green Island High.
STETHS ended their Zone E campaign on a high note, defeating early qualifiers Munro College 2-1 at the STETHS Sports Complex to claim their spot in the round of 32.
Meanwhile, Glenmuir High, early qualifiers from Zone I who won their first eight games, stumbled with a second consecutive loss, falling 1-2 to Garvey Maceo High. This marked the first time in more than two seasons that Glenmuir has lost back-to-back matches.
In Zone D, Manning’s School continued their dominant form, winning their eighth straight game with a resounding 6-0 victory over Grange Hill High. Gregory Phillips led the way with four goals, while Keandre Ellis and Zachry Clarke added one each, completing a dominant performance.
As the daCosta Cup second round approaches, excitement continues to build, with several powerhouse teams and emerging contenders ready to battle it out for the coveted title.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
