Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
I feel at home, says Ronaldo
Goal ace praises Bale, Benzema for taking Real to verge of ‘decima’
TODAY’S Champions League final at Lisbon’s Stadium of Light will be a very special one for Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo who will be making a rare club appearance in his homeland.
The 29-year-old Portuguese national captain, who has scored a season-record 16 goals in the competition, is delighted to be facing Atletico Madrid in his own capital city where he began his career with Sporting.
He has praised world record signing Gareth Bale and teammate Karim Benzema for taking Real to within 90 minutes of their long sought “decima”, their 10th European crown. enough to thank them,” said the Argentine.
“The most difficult thing for a coach is to transmit how he feels in the way the team play and they have allowed us to express how we feel.
“With passion, humility, commitment and effort and that means more than just being a sportsman,” Simeone said.
Atletico captain Gabi echoed Tiago’s words, but claimed a winning mentality was the most important thing Simeone had instilled.
“We all believe in the coach. You can like him or not, but he makes us win and that is the reason he is the best. I am here to win and that is what he has made us believe.”
David Villa is the only player in the Atletico squad to have played in a Champions League final before, but Simeone doesn’t expect inexperience, or the distractions of league title celebrations earlier in the week, to cost his side.
“From a motivation point of view, all the external stuff this week makes my job easier.
“It is a unique game and the important thing is that we read the game well and react to it well when we are on the pitch.
“It is a different game to the ones we have played before. The first half hour will be very important and whoever controls the midfield will be key.” – Reuters, Sapa-AFP