Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has said he wants to play against Real Madrid in a Champions League final before he retires.
The Catalans will play in the showpiece event this season having seen off Bayern Munich in the semi-final. But hopes of a Clasico final in Berlin were dashed on Wednesday after Alvaro Morata returned with his Juventus team and scored at the Santiago Bernabeu to send his former team out.
Speaking to the media about the final next month, Pique said while the press have installed Luis Enrique’s team as favourites, the players are well aware of what Juventus have achieved this season. Not only are they the Seria A champions, they have knocked out Real, Borussia Dortmund and Monaco along the way on their European travels.
“The final is what it is. We’ll play Juve, who deserve to be here. They’ve had a great season and a great run in Champions League. We don’t feel like we’re favourites, it’s 50-50.
“We’ll try to play like we are at the moment. Ahead of us are a team who beat [Real] Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Monaco, all great teams, to get here. Would we have liked Madrid? I’m among those who don’t want to retire before playing a Champions League final against Madrid,” he commented.
