Man City midfielder names Real Madrid iconic duo as inspirations ahead of UCL clash | OneFootball

Manchester City play hosts to Real Madrid on Wednesday night in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal tie.

With the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu ending in a 3-3 draw, the tie is nicely balanced and everything is on the line as the two giants go head-to-head at the Etihad Stadium.

Ahead of the contest, Manchester City midfield maestro Bernardo Silva lavished praise on Real Madrid’s legendary midfield duo of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos, calling them inspirations.

“Definitely they are inspirations and role models for me personally because they play more or less in the position I play. It’s their consistency. They have been doing this for 15 years, Modric even longer,” Silva said.

“After everything they have achieved they keep going and they are an example for all the kids who are starting to play football to see how they conduct themselves on the pitch. They never think about themselves, they think about the team. Especially with the decisions they make.”

Manchester City will fondly remember the last time Real Madrid visited their stadium as Pep Guardiola’s side thrashed the Spanish heavyweights 4-0 during the 2022/23 season.

When asked about that game, Silva replied: “It just felt after the season before, when we were knocked out by Real Madrid at the Bernabeu and the way that happened, we wanted to put things right.

“That performance was also a bit of an apology to our fans for the season before because we knew we owed them another chance to win the competition and we finally did it.”

Kroos and Modric were inspirations for Silva. (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)

Looking forward to tomorrow’s game, he added: “Now this season it’s a different game for sure, different teams Let’s see what happens tomorrow, but we are very confident because we play at home knowing we play against the kings of the competition. We have respect for Real Madrid and know how difficult it is going to be.”

“Two different seasons and in football it never happens the same game. I feel Real Madrid are stronger this season than they were last season. That was my feeling when we played them at the Bernabeu.

“For sure they want a bit of revenge for that result [last season] as well.”

The Portuguese international added that the Cityzens felt stronger while playing at the Etihad, saying: “We feel we are very strong in front of our own people.”

Underlining what keeps him and Manchester City motivated for the big occasions, Silva remarked:

“We want to create the legacy. We want four Premier Leagues in a row. We want the Champions League twice in a row and two Trebles in a row. In one week we could be out of all the competitions. But we are fighting.”

Source: BBC Sport