Madrid hailed as "Masters of the Universe" after crushing Juve
By Rik Sharma
CARDIFF (Reuters) - Real Madrid dominated the front and back pages of Spanish newspapers on Sunday after they beat Juventus 4-1 to win their 12th European Cup.
“Masters of the universe,” ran the headline on the front page of Spanish sports newspaper Marca, which added: “Real Madrid thrash Juve to win the 12th!”
“The 12th for the insatiable," read a wraparound cover on AS, which hailed the decisive Cristiano Ronaldo as the most valuable player of Saturday's final and said he was "a step away from his fifth Ballon d'Or".
The Portuguese striker scored twice to become the Champions League top scorer with a total of 12 goals in the competition, reaching a milestone 600th career goal.
Even media in Barcelona found it within themselves to praise Madrid, with Diario Sport calling them "Just champions" on their cover, while Mundo Deportivo acknowledged Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane's part in the triumph, labelling the Frenchman "historic".
On Saturday, both publications had openly expressed theirdesire for Juventus to win at the Principality Stadium but they acknowledged Madrid's triumph with more grace on Sunday.
“Kings 12 times,” splashed La Razon, while Spain’s oldest newspaper, ABC, wrote “Real Madrid without limits”.
El Pais said “Real Madrid enter a new golden era,” referencing their third Champions League triumph in four seasons.
The praise spread further afield, with France’s L’Equipe labelling the winners “Unreal Madrid”, while Portugal’s E Bola featured a picture of Ronaldo leaping in celebration with the headline “Jump to eternity”.
(Editing by Clare Fallon)