Callejon: Winning as a team is more important than scoring

Jul 28, 2012 3:40:00 PM

The 25-year-old has claimed personal success is not as important as the success of the overall team as Real Madrid were thrashed by Benfica in the Eusebio Cup in Lisbon

Real Madrid attacker Jose Callejon has shrugged off his two goals in his team's 5-2 defeat to Benfica yesterday, saying that the team's results are more important than his personal success.

The 25-year-old temporarily put his side in front in the showpiece match in Lisbon, but could do nothing to alter the final result as the Liga champions were comprehensively beaten by their well-organised opponents.

And Callejon insists that emerging victorious collectively is of far more importance than putting in a good individual performance.

"I try to do my best, my two goals are not important," he told the club's official website. "The important thing is working as a team and we are continuing to prepare and improving little by little.

"We knew the match would be difficult because they have had many more games of preparation and it was only our second. But we have to keep going."

On the role of Madrid's academy players in pre-season: "We are working well, waiting for the other players who played in Euro 2012. We are ready to start the season well.

"The youth academy have been phenomenal these past few days and have worked hard and helped us and it's also good for them."

Callejon also revealed that he trained alone over the summer in order to maintain his fitness, while taking the opportunity to play down fears he had picked up an injury during the Benfica match.

"I try to train in the summer to not neglect my physical state and to arrive at pre-season in the right condition. But now it's about trying to improve.

"I fell strangely, but it got better. I'm fine, it was just a small knock in the back."

Madrid will now embark on a brief tour of the United States before the Liga season gets underway, and their next pre-season friendly is against LA Galaxy at The Home Depot Center in California on August 3.

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