One of the most decorated European soccer talents in recent years, former Real Madrid star Fernando Morientes recently spent some time chatting with Latin Times about his career as a striker with Los Blancos along with his continued passion for the game of soccer even though he stepped away from the sport as a player in 2010. Registering over 120 goals in 337 La Liga games throughout his career, the now 38-year-old was a consistent offensive threat for league contenders Real Madrid and Valencia but his abilities also helped him find success with English Premier League affiliate Liverpool and Ligue 1 club AS Monaco.
Thanks to the continued efforts of Heineken and Twitter, Latin Times had the opportunity to sit down with the Cáceres, Spain native to discuss the upcoming UCL semifinal second leg between Bayern Munich and Morientes’ former team, Real Madrid. Heineken has invited former European greats to ‘Share the Sofa’ with fans of the Champions League this season and through the social media power, European soccer enthusiasts have been able to ask soccer-related questions to ‘Share the Sofa’ guests such as Morientes, former Argentine national star Hernán Crespo, retired Netherlands talent Ruud Gullit and many others.
Speaking through a translator, Fernando Morientes gave great insight into how he feels Real Madrid will fare at the Allianz Arena in Germany for the second leg of the UCL semifinals against defending champion Bayern Munich. From Toshi’s Living Room and Penthouse in New York City, Morientes started the conversation by breaking down the upcoming semifinal finale, which takes place on Tuesday, April 29 at 2:45pm, ET. Though he obviously would like to see Real Madrid move into the final, the former Los Blancos striker wasn’t ready to anoint his former side as winners just yet.
“Obviously I’d like to see Madrid move past Bayern Tuesday,” he said. “I think it would be huge for the team to make it to that final but I also feel it would be great for the fans and community to see Real Madrid beat a team with the quality of Bayern Munich. That would be great.”
Morientes also said that Real Madrid and Bayern Munich will be and should be viewed as the two favorites to win the final but the remaining semifinalists – Chelsea and Atletico Madrid – possess immense talent of their own that undoubtedly completes a strong Final Four in the 2013-2014 UEFA Champions League.
“Most will favor Bayern and Real as the favorites,” he continued. “But if would be unfair to neglect the talent and strength Chelsea and Atletico have on their teams. It will be an entertaining semifinal for all the teams involved but I believe Bayern and Real Madrid should be considered the favorites to win the championship.”
Claiming the Champions League three times with Real Madrid during his time at the Bernabeu, Morientes doesn’t just possess experience in the tournament but a true understanding of what it takes to exit the consistently deep field as a champion. Speaking about his finer moments in the European event, Morientes said this tournament remains one of the most popular in the world because of the tremendous talent it possesses on a yearly basis.
“The Champions League is one of the tournaments in Europe, if not the world,” he said. “In the domestic leagues there are 38 games and there’s room for error. But in the Champions League, if you lose you’re out of it, which makes this event all the more special. It’s a tournament like no other because of the immense pressure on each player every time they take the pitch.
He also touched on what each player goes through the day before a big match in the Champions League takes place. Focusing on Real Madrid’s upcoming showdown against Bayern, Morientes said the most important thing a player can do before a critical contest is to get plenty of rest and not focus on soccer until moments before the match begins.
“The day before the game you need rest,” he said. “Of course the following day the anxiety will start to creep in, that’s inevitable. But it’s not good to let the anxiety creep in – especially with the media, newspapers and everything covering it – so you need to maintain composure since you don’t want to enter a match all worked up from the night before.”
In wrapping up the interview, Fernando Morientes said he continues to enjoy his time in New York and has been very pleased to help Heineken promote their ‘Share the Sofa’ campaign throughout the UEFA Champions League semifinal period. Asked if he’ll have time to get to a Major League Baseball game while in town, the former Real Madrid star said he wasn’t sure about baseball but he’s trying to get to a hockey game before he leaves.
“I’m very thankful to Heineken for this opportunity since I’ve been wanting to come to New York. I’m not sure that I’ll be able to get to a baseball game,” he said with a chuckle. “But we are trying to see a hockey game before I end my time in New York.”
With the Champions League semifinal between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich set to conclude on Tuesday, April 29, fans are encouraged to send their questions to Fernando Morients about the match via Twitter to @Heineken with the hashtag #sharethesofa.
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