Mauricio Pochettino will be supporting Real Madrid in tonight’s Champions League final - after developing a soft spot for the club during his time in LaLiga.
Despite seeing his Paris Saint-Germain side become the first of many victims to a Los Blancos comeback in the knockout stages of this year’s competition, the Argentine still wants to see Real down Liverpool in Paris.
That is because his old Espanyol boss, Madrid legend and nine-time LaLiga champion Jose Antonio Camacho, taught him about the Spanish giants during his playing career.
“It is clear that my heart is much whiter than red,” Pochettino told Marca.
“My soft spot for Madrid comes from 1994, when I arrived in Barcelona. I was lucky that my coach was Jose Antonio Camacho, who transmitted that love for Real Madrid to me.
“I have never been able, as a player and coach, to be at Madrid, but my emotional preference is clear.”
PSG boss Pochettino could not be blamed for wondering if his team would be lining up in the French capital tonight had they not been knocked out at the last-16 stage by a Karim Benzema hat-trick when two goals ahead on aggregate with 30 minutes remaining of the tie.
“The team could not overcome the psychological impact of conceding a goal at the Bernabeu,” he noted.
“Real Madrid got on top and created chances to beat us. Looking at how the knockouts against Chelsea and Manchester City went, I think Paris Saint-Germain came closest to eliminating Real Madrid given our control, over the tie and the second leg.”
