VDB talks about La Novena

As the Spanish national team is playing in Hampden Park tonight, with Vicente del Bosque as coach and Iker Casillas as goalkeeper, talk of their time together at the stadium in 2002, the year that Madrid won their ninth Champions League title, is inevitable.  This is what VDB revealed yesterday about the game.

– Figo didn’t like being subbed out.  I took him how because he had received a hard kick to his ankle and he was suffering.  Macca came in for him, and he did very well and helped us out a lot.

– Roberto Carlos had a “partidazo,” there’s no other leftback like him.

– he and Raúl were quite clever in the play leading to the first goal, when they took advantage of a throw-in to cancel an offside, since it doesn’t exist if it’s the first action.

– with regards to Iker’s backup status eight years ago, “a lot has been said about this, but the only thing I have to say is that I was only considering sporting matters.  I’ve known him since he was 11 and I’ve followed and supported him throughout his time in Madrid.”