Champions League 2017: Players, Coaches React to Juventus vs. Real Madrid
A Cristiano Ronaldo-inspired Real Madrid won a remarkable 12th Champions League crown courtesy of a staggering 4-1 final victory over Italian champions Juventus on Sunday night.
The Portuguese frontman started the party with a well-taken early strike, and despite Mario Mandzukic upping the spectacular goalscoring stakes to draw Juve level, goals from Casemiro, another from Ronaldo and one from Marco Asensio gave Madrid a deserved victory.
It was all about one man in the Welsh capital, however, as Ronaldo scored his 600th career goal for club and country during the showdown, per OptaJoe:
A good day at the office for the Ballon d’Or winner, then. It was no surprise that he was in high spirits at the full-time whistle. The 32-year-old says he deserves the records and accolades, per BBC Sport:
"I prepared myself for this, you win the biggest prizes because of what you do at the end of the season.
"Zidane gave us a very positive half-time team talk and told us he really believed in us. It has been an incredible end to the season by us. We are the first team to win it two years in a row and I scored two goals.
"It's another record for us and the players deserve it and so do I because I scored twice and I'm the top scorer in the Champions League."
Naturally, the praise came in thick and fast from the football world, with journalist Guillem Balague paying Ronaldo the ultimate compliment on Twitter:
Midfielder Toni Kroos was also full of admiration for his team-mate, per the BBC, saying he always delivers when it matters most:
"Everybody knows that Cristiano is very important. As a team we played very well in the quarter-finals, the semi-finals and today but you need a guy to score the goals and he did it again.
"I didn't expect that it was possible to defend this title, it is so difficult to win it once. To win it three times in four years means a lot and it is not only a good team on the pitch, but off the pitch, I am happy to be part of it."
Gareth Bale, who was a late substitute back in his home City, was equally delighted and said he relished getting his moment on the pitch, via the BBC:
"What an incredible scene. The city has done an immaculate job in hosting a great event. To win this at home is a great feeling, it's been a hard season, I've worked tirelessly to get fit and these are your rewards.
"We have made history, we'll enjoy this moment now. We needed confidence at half-time, and we had to take our chances which we did."
On the other side of the camp, Gianluigi Buffon, who virtually every football fan was willing to win his first Champions League, said Real Madrid just had a little bit too much for the Italian champions, per the BBC:
"We are disappointed. We played very well in the first half, we thought we had enough to win the game.
"I cannot explain why we played like we did in the second half. Real Madrid deserved to win in the second half. They showed their class and the attitude needed to play in this kind of game."
Real Madrid may well have won their 12th Champions League title and their first back-to-back European titles since 1960, but only one man will dominate the headlines: Ronaldo.
The frontman just seems to be getting better and better and delivering more and more when it matters most. Much like Real Madrid, his Champions League record is nothing short of spectacular—Lionel Messi fans may need to keep quiet until next season.
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