Casemiro, the previous Actual Madrid midfielder who helped the membership safe 5 UEFA Champions League titles, just lately shared a memorable story about his time on the membership, significantly with Luka Modric.
The 2 midfielders had been key figures in Actual Madrid’s dominance in European soccer. After their victorious UEFA Champions League closing in opposition to Atletico Madrid in Milan in 2016, Casemiro recalled an inspiring dialog that Modric had with the crew within the dressing room.
Modric, at all times the visionary, instructed his teammates that they wanted to win two extra Champions League titles, pushing them to make historical past. Casemiro defined that their preliminary response was to remind him that they’d simply received back-to-back titles because the triumph in Lisbon.
“I’m going to inform you one thing I by no means stated in any interview: After the UCL closing in Milan vs Atlético Madrid, we had been celebrating within the dressing room, and Luka Modric got here as much as us and stated: ‘Pals, we have now to win two extra UCL’s now,’ he instructed .
However Modric wasn’t happy with simply two. He believed that with the crew they’d, they had been able to extra—particularly profitable two extra Champions Leagues in a row.
“‘Come on Luka, we’ve received two nearly in a row since Lisbon.’ He replied: ‘No, no.
“With this nice crew we have now, we have now to take benefit and make historical past by profitable not less than two extra in a row.” We then received the twelfth in Cardiff & the thirteenth in Kyiv. In a row. Luka knew,” added Casemiro.
And as destiny would have it, Actual Madrid went on to win the twelfth and thirteenth Champions League titles, one after the opposite. It was clear that Modric’s perception within the crew was justified.
Trying again on the legendary crew
Reflecting on what makes Actual Madrid so particular within the Champions League, Casemiro shared a profound perception. He stated that the core of the crew, constructed on the values instilled by the membership, is what prepares gamers to succeed on the highest degree.
Casemiro talked about that when he arrived at Madrid, he was becoming a member of a gaggle of legendary gamers.
“The hot button is that Madrid prepares the gamers. Madrid at all times has a spine of the values that they instil in you. After I arrived, Cristiano, Sergio Ramos, and Casillas… had been already there.”
Over time, gamers like Modric, Toni Kroos, and others got here in, forming a brand new spine for the crew. Casemiro additionally highlighted the significance of the membership’s president, who performs a key function in transmitting these values to the gamers.
“Then Casemiro, Modric, Toni got here alongside. After which Vini, Fede Valverde, Rodrygo… The spine and the values of the membership are already there,” he famous.
Three UCLs in a row
When requested in regards to the crew’s success, Casemiro fondly remembered the exceptional squad he was a part of throughout their three consecutive Champions League wins.
With gamers like Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcelo, Sergio Ramos, Luka Modric, and Karim Benzema—who later went on to win the Ballon d’Or—it was a crew stuffed with skilled, revered people.
The crew’s capacity to dominate their rivals and make historical past was rooted of their collective energy and unity.
“What an ideal crew we had. Cristiano, Marcelo, Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Varane, Carvajal, Toni, Luka, and Karim. It was a crew of males who commanded quite a lot of respect from their rivals. That’s why we wrote historical past,” he remembered.