‘Bayern-Madrid would have been a beautiful Final’

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge believes Bayern Munich and Real Madrid would have made for a “beautiful” Champions League Final.

The clubs instead meet at the Quarter-Final stage and Rummenigge, the Bayern chief executive, was asked by AS if they had a comparable history.

“Definitely. Like Bayern, Madrid is a club that has ascended by its own strength. No help from anyone. It began in the 1960s with [Alfredo] Di Stefano, and us later, in the 1970s with [Franz] Beckenbauer,” he noted.

“Both clubs boast of their traditions. And they didn’t need a tycoon to bring them the manna.

“What did I think when the draw was made? That it could have been better! On the one hand you rejoice, on the other it could have been a beautiful game for Wales [the site of the final].”

Carlo Ancelotti will be on the Bayern bench, having had two years with Madrid, and Rummenigge considered the possibility that the Italian’s previous job will benefit the Bavarians.

“When you have recently trained a team that hasn’t changed much you know how its heart beats, in this case Madrid. But these days I’m sure Zinedine Zidane knows how our heart beats,” he argued, before comparing Carletto with his predecessor, Pep Guardiola.

“You’re motivated. I’ve noticed a difference between Ancelotti and Pep. When we faced Madrid three years ago, Pep was over-motivated. Carlo expresses his ambitions in a different way.

“They’re both great coaches, but very different characters. But let there be no doubt that we have continued to benefit from the style Pep imposed during his three years in Munich.”

Tags Bayern Munich Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
La Liga - Club News