Madrid toasts centenary

Key players injured for friendly against world side

MADRID, Spain (AP) -- Spanish soccer giant Real Madrid will celebrate 100 years of existence on Wednesday by playing an exhibition match at its Santiago Bernabeu stadium against a team of some of the world's top players.

The game, which is expected to draw a full house of 75,000 spectators, honors the club's unparalleled achievements in the sport.

Madrid, which has been voted FIFA's team of the last century, has won the European Champions Cup a record nine times, four more than its closest rival AC Milan.

It has lifted two UEFA Cups and two Toyota Cups. In Spain, it has 17 Copa del Rey trophies, one league cup and four Super Cups to go along with 28 league titles.

Wednesday is not the club's 100th birthday.

Madrid was founded as "Madrid Foot-Ball Club" on March 6, 1902, playing in a regional league in the Spanish capital under its first president, Catalan trader Juan Padros Rubio.

The Spanish soccer federation selected that day to hold last season's Copa del Rey final at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

Although Vicente del Bosque's side reached the final, its celebrations were dampened when it lost 2-1 to Deportivo de La Coruna.

Despite the defeat, Madrid have fulfilled president Florentino Perez's desire to gain several trophies during the centennial year.

It won the Champions Cup in May, the European Super Cup in August and the Toyota Cup earlier this month.

On Wednesday, Madrid will be without its injured veteran captain Fernando Hierro and French midfielder Claude Makelele.

The club's Brazilian striker Ronaldo, who was expected to be awarded France Football's Golden Ball prize later Monday and named FIFA's soccer player of the year in Madrid Tuesday, is doubtful with a muscle strain although he is sure to make an appearance to parade his awards.

The striker's compatriot, left back Roberto Carlos, who missed Madrid's league win over Recreativo de Huelva with a thigh strain, may also play for a few minutes. Right back Michel Salgado is also doubtful.

German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn, Brazilian forward Rivaldo and Italian forward Alessandro del Piero are among the stars included in the world selection's 25-man squad for the game, with Brazilian World Cup winner Luiz Felipe Scolari acting as the team's coach.

Other players to appear will be Bayern Munich's Bixente Lizarazu and Michael Ballack and AC Milan's Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Nesta.

As the match takes place close to games in England and France, no players based in those countries will appear.

Yugoslav striker Predrag Mijatovic, who now plays for Spanish second-division club Levante, has also been selected for the world team as he scored Madrid's winning goal against Juventus in the Champions League final of 1998.

The match, which will be refereed by the Italian Pierluigi Collina, will be preceded by an appearance by Spanish opera star Placido Domingo, who will sing the club's centennial anthem.

Reports that King Juan Carlos will attend have yet to be confirmed.

In a pre-game ceremony, the players will take the field accompanied by 22 children wearing T shirts with the logo of the International Labor Organization's "Red Card to Child Labor Campaign" and raise special red cards to demonstrate support.

A 30-second ILO video on child labor will be shown on the stadium's giant television screen.