Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed his targets for Real Madrid this season, and it doesn’t make great reading for supporters of their rival clubs.
Los Blancos beat Barcelona in April to win the Copa del Rey last term, courtesy of a Gareth Bale goal with just five minutes left on the clock. This was bettered in Lisbon the following month, when they came back from a goal behind to beat Atletico Madrid 4-1 in the first ever UEFA Champions League final contested by two teams from the same city.
Whilst La Decima was the honour the club had been chasing since 2001-02, when Zinedine Zidane scored the winning goal in the 2-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen, there was cause for regret as they were denied a memorable treble by their city rivals as Diego Simeone led Atletico to their first La Liga title triumph since Radomic Antic triumphed in 1996.
In an exclusive interview with The Telegraph, Ronaldo has revealed that he and his pals fully intend to wrestle the title from Los Rojiblancos this season. Yet more than this, the Portuguese forward also wants to claim an eleventh Champions League – La Undecima. And just for good measure, on a personal note, he wants to surpass his remarkable record of 46 goals in 38 La Liga appearances from the 2011-12 campaign.
“It was a fantastic year. We won the Champions League, we won La Decima – the trophy that Real Madrid had been looking for a lot,” he said. “So this season we’re going to try to do the same, to win the Champions League again and to win La Liga. In terms of individual achievements, I’m going to try to break my own records. It’s tough but I’m going to try.”
Carlo Ancelotti’s side began their league season with a 2-0 win over top-flight new-boys Cordoba, a match in which Ronaldo scored, yet they lost their second fixture 4-2 at Real Sociedad – a game in which Ronaldo was absent. They have been drawn in Group B as they look to defend their Champions League crown, and will meet five-time champions Liverpool, Swiss side FC Basle, and Bulgarian minnows Ludogorets.
Real fans, do you think your team is capable of winning the treble this season? And would anything less be considered a disappointment? Let us know what you think by joining in the discussion below!
