Football
Snippets from the night in Madrid: Real Madrid celebrate their 35th league title, Ancelotti’s samba, a lonely Marcelo and a rebel Bale
Real Madrid celebrates the 35th title of its rich football history in the Spanish league. How did the royal club celebrate?
Real Madrid defeat Espanyol Barcelona to celebrate the 35th Spanish league title in their rich football history. What did the celebrations look like for the royal club?
Real Madrid celebrates winning the 35th league title in its history
Real Madrid hosted Espanyol Barcelona on Saturday afternoon and needed just a point to win their 35th league title. But with a rather reduced squad due to Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final rematch with Manchester City, the White Ballet won convincingly 4-0 to become this season’s La Liga king.
As usual, the Santiago Bernabéu stadium erupted into a massive celebration. The captains of the Madrid club, Brazilian Marcelo and Frenchman Karim Benzema, received the Spanish league trophy and presented it to their teammates.
The footballers from the Spanish capital then proceeded to the traditional Cibeles Square where a spectacular ceremony awaited them. The star players enjoyed a festive moment as they rode through the city streets on the roof of the club bus.
Ancelotti made football history, celebrating the title with a samba
Carlo Ancelotti didn’t deny his Italian temperament and jammed with his Brazilian players in the spirit of samba. His dance with winger Vinícius Júnior and stopper Éder Militão went instantly viral.
The Italian strategist played a key role in a winning league season. After taking over Zinedine Zidane’s team, he squeezed the best out of a depleted squad and led the team to a league victory. Moreover, on Wednesday, his side will be fighting for the Champions League final, making up for a one-goal loss to Manchester City.
Ancelotti became the only coach in football history to win league titles with his teams in Europe’s top five leagues.
Marcelo reminisced about former club legend Sergio Ramos
In Cibeles Square, the players, led by their coach and huge crowds of fans, celebrated this great triumph. Team captain Marcelo then decorated the statue of the Goddess of Cibeles, the greatest symbol of Madrid, with the scarf of the royal club.
In an interview, he then remembered his former teammate Sergio Ramos, who shared this memorable moment with him years ago. “It’s something amazing, it’s very nice to make history for Real Madrid, the best club in the world,” Marcelo told Marca newspaper. “I would like to thank Sergio Ramos, who took me there once,” he recalled of his former teammate.
Gareth Bale is a rebel again
Gareth Bale is once again the subject of the Spanish media. The Welshman was not at the Santiago Bernabeu to watch his teammates play Espanyol and then celebrate the La Liga title with them. There was no sign of the player in the stadium or in the celebrations that followed.
Bale remained out of the lineup after complaining of back problems on Friday. The player trained normally before the game and only said after training that his back was hurting. An injury that paramedics were unable to detect.
Bale has once again given an excuse to the Spanish media and confirms the label of a rebel. The player is reportedly determined to leave the club and no one doubts anymore that it will be a backdoor exit. A sad ending.
Source: Marca, Twitter