Ramos and Bale celebrate another Madrid triumph
Saturday, May 28, 2016
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Sergio Ramos said Milan "will have a special place in my heart" after lifting the trophy in his first season as Real Madrid captain, while Gareth Bale was almost lost for words.
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Sergio Ramos, Real Madrid captain and man of the match
This is a wonderful feeling – two wins in three seasons. It's a real reward for us after a hard season. We got to this final and winning it again, it's incredible. The emotion is unforgettable. It will always have a very special place in my heart.
Atlético played very well, they've had a great season, but the nature of football is that both teams can't win – and fortunately the cup's coming home with us.
The feelings are incredible. To hold that cup in my hands as part of the best team in the world, in my first year as captain, is amazing. The first time is always different – Lisbon was fantastic because of how the game went and the result. This one is also fantastic and it will always be in my heart.
I don't know if I feel the same way other captains feel, but I have always dreamt of this moment. When I came to Madrid years ago I wanted to wear the captain's armband one day, and I'm lucky to be doing that now. After Iker Casillas left last season, I've got to experience such a unique moment for myself [as captain] – a picture for the history books. It will remain in my heart that I lifted the trophy as captain in Milan.
Every time you take a penalty you can think positively or negatively: the 'panenka' [Ramos scored in the UEFA EURO 2012 semi-final], against Bayern [he missed in the 2012 UEFA Champions League semi-final] ... or should you even be taking it? Football is a hard game. Penalties is a game of chance, it's heads or tails whether you win or lose.
To speak of 'Zizou' is to speak of modesty, hard work and determination – that's what he's given us from the first day he arrived. It's been a very important change, and he's given us some things we didn't have before. It's a deserved win and it's good to celebrate with him.
Since Zidane arrived things have changed a lot – there's a good feeling, the dressing room is more united. We also had good moments under Benítez, and bad moments too. It's like families in that sometimes you get along well and sometimes you don't. This is a result of the effort, work and optimism we've always had. With hard work and effort we've managed to achieve this.
Gareth Bale, Real Madrid forward
Just an incredible feeling again. To win it once is amazing, to win it twice is ... I can't really describe the words. An incredible night, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the celebrations.
An incredible night but a tough night as well, obviously, against a great rival, a tough team. The second half we suffered a lot. It was a difficult game; the conditions, it was very humid, very hot, so in extra time it made it very difficult, a lot of people were going down with cramp. Atlético gave a good fight but we were just happy to get the win in the end. It's amazing to have this trophy again.
I felt strong. We were strong in the first half, we came at them very quickly with a lot of pressure, and then obviously the heat maybe takes a bit of a toll on you, and you just have to try and manage the game. But I felt I played well and the most important thing was to get the win, and we got it.
Things happen in the game and you have to adapt. And sometimes you have to defend, and especially in a final you have to suffer sometimes. I thought we defended really well, obviously only the one point was the goal, but the most important thing was to get this trophy and we did that.
[In the penalty shoot-out] I honestly didn't feel any nerves, any pressure. I was very calm, I was confident I would score. I was actually nervous after I'd taken the penalty and walked back – I wanted to win so much and was just hoping they would miss and then we would score all ours, which was the case. Then, trying to run to celebrate after, I had a bit of cramp, but an amazing feeling and it's hard to describe in words what it felt like.
To relive the moment that we had two years ago, just the feeling is... you can't really describe it, especially for a Champions League, the biggest trophy there is to win. Just amazing.It's just a great moment and one you will never forget.
It's been a hard season. We came close in the league, but I think we would have taken the Champions League over anything else any day.