re: CHAMPIONS ( La10ª ya está ) - The Real Madrid Club de Fútbol 2013-14 Thread

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“Real Madrid is not just a football team; it is becoming a global religion,” Carlo Ancelotti said in an interview Tuesday with Real Madrid Television, during which he also described Sergio Ramos as the best defender in the world. The Italian coach also stated that he never doubted Real would win the Champions League final against Atlético Madrid in Lisbon, where a Ramos goal deep into stoppage time sparked his side’s eventual 4-1 triumph.

A cycle: “This Champions League win is not the end of a cycle, but the beginning of one. We have a very young team that is full of talent. We have players who will improve next season such as those that arrived last summer, Illarramendi, Isco…”

The Champions League: “This title will drive us to be better next year. Previous years will also serve as motivation to the team because of the negative experience they went through. It is not easy to reach three consecutive semifinals and not play in the final.”

The Decima: “I always believed Real Madrid had the quality to win it and I have always had supreme confidence. In every Champions League match I saw a different atmosphere in the dressing room because it was a huge source of motivation. Everybody was talking about the Decima and that gave us the strength and confidence to play those games with courage and personality. The pressure to win the Decima was positive pressure.”

Ramos’ goal: “I never thought that the final was lost. I am very optimistic. The time elapsed too quickly but the team was doing very well. We scored two minutes from the whistle but we had chances before that to equalize.”

Extra time: “I didn’t celebrate Ramos’ goal much because I was already thinking about how to set up the team in extra time. When Marcelo scored [Real’s third ] I knew the game was over, that we were Champions of Europe. The Decima was home.”

The celebration: “I had never witnessed what I saw after the victory. When I won the Champions League with Milan there was a great party in the city. This was a global party for Real Madrid; I had never seen anything similar for a win. We gave a lot of joy to Madridistas. It was crazy. Real Madrid is not just a football team; it is becoming a global religion. I have seen many videos made by fans and it is genuinely incredible. I am very grateful for the support of the fans.”

Cristiano Ronaldo: “Cristiano’s statistics are not complicated: a goal every game. If Cristiano plays, the game starts at 1-0. I was very surprised that he is very responsible, a leader within the group. He is not just a player who scores important goals. The understanding he sought to build up with Benzema and Bale was also essential. He had an amazing season, scoring goals and providing assists.”

Gareth Bale: “There are players who after arriving from England have encountered problems; this is not the base with Bale. He didn’t start well because he did not have a pre-season, but afterwards he did very well. He worked hard and scored goals in the two finals. I don’t know what will happen when he has a full pre-season… when he scored against Barcelona [in the Copa del Rey final] it looked like he had a motorbike. He has amazing physical qualities and extraordinary talent. He tries things at a speed that nobody else can.”

Sergio Ramos: “After the winter break he was a different player and decisive in our title wins. He has everything that Paolo Maldini had; personality, technical quality, the ability to be a leader on and off the field. I have never compared anyone to Maldini. Right now Sergio is the best defender in the world.”

Jese: “He was a surprise for everybody. I did not know him, but Zidane spoke very highly of him and when I saw him in training I understood why. He was very important to us and we missed him at the end of the season when Cristiano and Bale had problems. I believe that the outcome of the league would have been different if we had had Jesé with us.”

Madrid: “The Madrileños have shown me a lot of affection. I am very happy here. It is a very easy city to live in and very similar to southern Italian cities like Rome. I love the cinema and I try to go as often as I can. I also like singing.

The song: “I said to José Angel that if we won the Champions League I would sing in the Bernabéu. In any case, the song for the Decima is spectacular. We have to win an 11th Champions League because I want to sing it again. I hope we will all be singing after the Supercup.”

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