Real Madrid president Florentino Perez wants Rafael Nadal to face Roger Federer in a tribute game at Santiago Bernabeu: Reports
According to El Nacional, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is keen to see tennis stars Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer play an exhibition match at the iconic Santiago Bernabeu.
Nadal has always been an ardent fan of Los Blancos and is one of the finest ambassadors of the Madrid-based club. The legendary tennis star was once tipped by Perez to take over at the Santiago Bernabeu as the club's next president.
The Los Blancos president, however, will have to wait for that to happen as Nadal is still going strong in his tennis career. Perez, though, has plans involving the Spanish superstar as he wants Nadal to face off against Federer in an exhibition game at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
Federer recently retired from professional tennis, bringing down the curtains on an iconic career that lasted over a span of two decades. The football world reacted to the Swiss maestro's retirement as they paid their tributes to the 41-year-old legend.
While it will be a historic scenario if the duo do indeed meet at the iconic stadium, Nadal believes the hypothetical matchup depends on a lot of factors. Here's what the ATP World No. 3 told La Cope (h/t El Nacional):
"I have no idea, I don't think Real Madrid is obsessed with it either, If at some point the decision comes from here (from Real Madrid), it is clear to me personally that I would be excited and then I would have to talk to the other person (Federer)."
Lionel Messi takes cheeky dig at Real Madrid's Champions League triumph
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstar Lionel Messi recently took a cheeky dig at Real Madrid while talking about Los Blancos' triumph in the UEFA Champions League last year.
Carlo Ancelotti's men won the tournament for a record 14th time in their illustrious history with a 1-0 win over Liverpool. They also ousted PSG in the Round-of-16 of the tournament. However, Messi revealed that the loss was hard to accept last term.
While speaking to Mexican TV station TUDN, here's what the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner stated (via Liverpool Echo):
“The elimination last season was very hard because of how it happened, because we played two great games against Real Madrid and the tie was lost in small details."
He further went on to add that the Champions League is a difficult competition to win as the best team doesn't always come out triumphant. He said:
"It is a very difficult competition to win because it is not always won by the best team, it is always decided by small details, any mistake leaves you out of a tie, but we are preparing ourselves for when those hard moments come, to be up to the task."
PSG and Real Madrid have won both of their Champions League matches so far and sit atop their respective groups.