Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta has accepted that Real Madrid and Juventus are deserving Champions League finalists.
Serie A leaders Juventus defeated Barcelona 3 -0 in the first leg of the quarterfinals in Turin Italy, and played goalless draw in Camp Nou Spain, to qualify for the semifinals, the Italian giants also dealt with Monaco on 4-1 aggregate in their semi-final to reach the showpiece in Cardiff.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid defeated Bayern Munich 6-3on the aggregate to reach the semifinals and it will take the defence of the trophy right to the final game after beating Atletico Madrid 4-2 across the two legs of their last-four encounter.
Iniesta, a four-time winner of the trophy, says his interest is minimal given that he will not be involved but accepts Juventus and Madrid deserve their shot at glory.
“Real Madrid and Juventus are just finalists for the Champions League, but you lose interest when you’re not playing the final,” he told a media event in Barcelona.
Iniesta was man-of-the-match when Barca beat Juventus 3-1 to win the trophy in 2015 and holds the distinction of having assisted a goal in three finals.
However, the Spain international claims his stoppage-time goal against Chelsea in the semi-final of 2009 is his greatest moment in the competition.
“My best memory of the Champions League is the semi-final against Chelsea in 2009,” he said.
This post was last modified on December 14, 2018 10:02 am