As mentioned earlier, Iker helped to hand out presents to children this afternoon with the foundation of the Clinica Menorca. And of course, there he was asked about two pertinent topics, getting Lyon in the Champions League draw, and his relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo.
With regards to his relationship with Cris, Iker said, “there are people who want to create controversy and say there is a bad atmosphere when the truth is the opposite. Cristiano and I get along very well. Each person is different, but that doesn’t mean that there’s distance between us or a confrontation. There are no groups or cliques. In the locker room, there is a great atmosphere. We have to get move on and stop talking about stupid things.”
He also added that right now he “agrees a bit with Di Stéfano in that I think that my teammates are the best.”
I’m glad he was so direct and forthright this time, instead of trying to tiptoe around the situation and making it worse. This is more captainly behavior, no? Now hopefully the press will stop fixating on this thing, although I’m sure they will find/make up something new to focus on soon.
As for Lyon, Iker said that it’s a serious rival that requires prudence and respect, especially in light of what happened last year. He added that they’re not going to France with revenge in mind (unlike me).
He also touched upon the Sevilla game, saying that neither he nor the coach nor the club are concerned about the defense, because “it’s well-covered and we have players that can play several positions.”
It looks like Iker’s been scarf shopping with Sergio and Pepe, no?