Allegri: Juventus must score in Madrid
Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi, who celebrated his 40th birthday on Saturday, is still chasing an elusive 10th world title, with the 2019 campaign marking the 10-year anniversary of his most recent championship triumph.
Opening up on what makes him want to continue at the highest level after so many years, Rossi cited his dramatic 2006 title loss to the late Nicky Hayden, caused by him crashing out in the Valencia finale, as evidence that he “deserves” to claim an eighth premier class crown, motorsport.com reported.
“[Winning 10 titles] is a dream that I still believe a lot in, but it’s also a big regret, because I deserved it,” Rossi said in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport marking his 40th birthday.
“I lost two titles [2006 and ‘15] in the last race, and I’ve also been runner-up many times [also in 2000, ‘14 and ‘16], so my career deserved 10 titles. It’s also for this reason that I still try.”
He added, “Valencia in 2006, if I stayed calm and didn’t crash, I would have won. Then there were some things that I don’t know if they were errors or not – moving to Ducati, or moving to Yamaha instead of continuing to win at Honda.
“Then there is what happened at the end of 2015, when I unfortunately lost the championship [to Lorenzo, again in Valencia]. But the real error was in 2006, I could have won.”
Despite his advancing years, Rossi has not discounted the possibility of signing a fresh contract to race beyond 2020.
“Honestly, I don’t know,” said the Italian when asked if his current Yamaha deal will be his last. “It could be the last one, maybe not. We are talking about how something will finish before it has even begun.
“I have a lot of desire, and there are two more years. But I also start knowing they could be my last. I haven’t decided.”
Rossi also said he takes great satisfaction from proving wrong those that felt he should hung up his leathers some years ago.
“The first few times happened in 2007, I had already won five [premier class] titles. People thought I was in the twilight of my career. But I won two more titles, and above all, after more than 10 years, I am still here.
“It makes me laugh. I’m not strong in a test, or I finish fourth and [I get told] I have to stop. It seems a bit extreme.” Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri believes his team’s Champions League last-16 tie against Atletico Madrid is open and he is eager to find an away goal.
The Serie A leader makes the trip to the Wanda Metropolitano on Wednesday for what shapes as a blockbuster tie, Fourfourtwo reported.
Allegri is desperate for Juve to find a breakthrough in the Spanish capital, but he is wary of Atletico, which has reached at least the Champions League quarterfinals in four of the past five seasons.
“The team is in good shape. It is a twolegged challenge against a very physical team,” he said after Friday’s 3-0 win over Frosinone.
“Atletico plays very aggressive football when playing at home. It is a team that has had great results in previous years in Europe.
“It is an open match, we have as much chance to go through as they do.
“The first thing we must do is score a goal in Madrid. Scoring in Madrid will be decisive for our qualification.”