Real Madrid has been a shadow of its former self- and yet, they have reached the quarter-finals of the UCL for the first time since 2018. They defeated Atalanta 3-1 in the second leg of the Round of 16. And this simply proves that the Galacticos are not ready to give up.
Real Madrid Step Into The Quarterfinals Of The Champions League
According to Luka Modric, their midfield maestro, the team has a lot of hunger left in them. And this hunger has been prevalent since 2018, ever since Cristiano Ronaldo left. As every football around the world knows, Real Madrid were crowned champions from 2016 to 2018 where Cristiano Ronaldo was the top goal scorer. Ever since he left for Juventus, the team failed to qualify for the quarter-finals in the last two editions of the Champions League.
Both Karim Benzema and Sergio Ramos were on the scoresheet along with Marco Asensio, as Luis Muriel scored from Atalanta. According to Modric, it was important for the Spanish side to qualify for the quarter-finals of the UCL when FC Barcelona couldn’t qualify. He also mentioned how people shouldn’t write off Madrid just because the team members are old. He believes it is more important to see how hungry the players are to win.
The coach of the Los Galacticos Zinedine Zidane praised the passion and zeal of the senior team members, especially Toni Kroos and Luka Modric. The German-Croatian attacking midfield has been ruling La Liga for the most part of the last decade, and while some critics have already signed them off, they are here for more. Zidane never stepped back from praising the midfield duo, talking about how he himself retired at 34 when Modric was going strong at 35.
Real Madrid has left their glory days behind them, with wins coming far and few in between. It needs to be seen if this Champions League heralds a change in their fortunes.
