Valverde: "My dream was to play for Real Madrid, but I never thought of playing in a Champions League final"

   MADRID, 23 May. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Real Madrid player Fede Valverde confesses this Monday that he "never" thought he would play in a Champions League final, while at the same time highlighting the "spirit" of the white team as one of the keys to the season, forming a "Triangle of Bermuda" with coaching staff and fans that generate "fear" and pressure" on rival teams.

"First you think that you never imagined playing a final like this. The other day I was with some friends and we were talking about the Liverpool-Milan final that I saw with my parents, and today it is my turn to play. The dream was to play in the Real Madrid, but I never thought of playing in a Champions League final," Valverde admits in an interview with the Sportsman's Club collected by Europa Press.

The Uruguayan, who will play his first Champions League final against Liverpool this Saturday, May 28, stresses that the "spirit of the people, of the shield, of each player" who enters the pitch to "defend" Real Madrid at any situation is a differentiating factor. "Whether it's winning, drawing, losing, he always tries to find the goal of winning and that's what makes him different from others," he adds.

"If I told you that there is no luck in all this, it would be lying. You have to look for that goal you want and always, with good or bad luck, try. Luck in these three Champions League games was on our side because unique things have happened ", he explains about the most recent European qualifiers.

Thus, Valverde sees "difficult" to describe and explain what happened in the European nights at the Bernabéu. "The first thing is to thank the people, because when the game seems to be lost and you can't find the spaces, the team isn't feeling well, the people are there to always support us. That gives us a plus and an energy that is not can explain. You just have to keep fighting. The game doesn't end until the referee says so, fight until the last, "he says.

Thus, the midfielder, key in the crosses against PSG, Chelsea and City, assesses the "fear" that rivals may feel when facing Rea Madrid in the white fiefdom. "I don't know if it's fear, but the pressure generated by the stadium and the fans is. Also the result, because they know that the one they're up against is Real Madrid and they're capable of doing anything, and it shows," he says.

"When the coaching staff, the team and the fans are infected, it is the Bermuda Triangle. It is that point that gives you to score that goal, to reach one more ball," he says.

The footballer, who remembers his arrival at the white club as something "hard" for separating from his family very young, acknowledges that his victory against Sevilla in the League meant a turning point to win the championship. "That day we knew that if we didn't win the three points, FC Barcelona could get much closer to us, and it was a key day. We got half the league and it gave us motivation to finish what was left as quickly as possible," he says.

"In addition to running I have my technical qualities, I know how to attack, I know how to defend... As I said, sometimes when your legs are going to explode your heart and your head keep fighting. You are defending the best shield in the world, so you have to defend it with honour", he comments on his way of understanding football, aware that he must improve in scoring

The midfielder is proud of doing "dark work" on the pitch. "I would like to contribute more goals, more assists, reach the box more, more determination. But I'm still young, you learn something new every day", he points out.

Finally, Valverde describes as "incredible" playing alongside Croatian Luka Modric. "It is a pleasure to see him play, to have him as a teammate, a pleasure to see everything he gives for the shield he represents. I always joke with him about how I am going to reach his age, because today I finish many games and my whole body hurts It is exemplary for all of us what Luka represents", sentenced the Uruguayan.