Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has said he will be supporting Real Madrid in the Champions League final at the end of this month.
Los Blancos take on city rivals Atletico de Madrid in Lisbon on May 24 at the Estadio da Luz after the capital clubs defeated Bayern Munich and Chelsea in their respective semi-finals.
It will be the first time two clubs from the same city will contest the final of Europe’s premier club competition. Carlo Ancelotti, already having secured the Copa del Rey, is looking to win the Champions League for the third time as a manager. A win for Madrid would mean the dream of securing their 10th crown, La Decima, will have been achieved 12 years after they last won the trophy.
Speaking to Cadena Ser, Rajoy said he admired the job done by Diego Simeone at the Vicente Calderon, and respected what Atletico had achieved this year. But he added he would be supporting Real Madrid.
Rajoy, who very rarely speaks to the media, and normally does so via videoconference so he can duck out of answering questions about his disastrous running of the country since he was elected, said: “I think it’s my duty to go to Lisbon, and in this instance it also overlaps with my passion.”
The Prime Minister, whose PP party is currently embroiled in an embarrassing corruption scandal, famously went to the final of Euro 2012 between Spain and Italy, the day after the country’s banks had been bailed out by the EU. Despite having overseen draconian public spending cuts and tax increases that have put huge pressure on large swathes of the Spanish population, Rajoy insisted he could attend the final having “solved yesterday’s problem”. The phrase he used became a hugely popular trending hashtag on social media: #lodeayer.
