City chief executive claims Real Madrid were 'lucky' in Champions League

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City chief executive claims Real Madrid were 'lucky' in Champions League

Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano has insisted that the is ‘not obsessed’ with winning the Champions League but claims Real Madrid were ‘a bit lucky’ last season.

Real lifted their 14th European crown in May after beating Liverpool in the final. They had already beaten City, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain in previous knockout rounds and needed to come from behind in all three ties in order to progress.

Discussing Real’s success as well as his own club’s ambitions, Soriano told the Dr. Football podcast: “The Champions League is a trophy that we want, but we know that it is subject to a bit of luck and we are not obsessed.

“People talk today about the success that Madrid have had in recent years, and I think it would be fair to say that they were a bit lucky. Perhaps I could say that they deserved to lose against PSG, against Chelsea, against us or against Liverpool.”

However, Soriano didn’t fully dismiss Real, admitting that they were on the wrong end of luck more than 30 years ago during the 'Quinta' generation of the 1980s.

“People don't remember that in the 80s and 90s [Real] had a fantastic team, one of the best in history, with Butragueno and La Quinta, and they could not win it,” Soriano explained.

“Milan eliminated them every year. So they were somewhat lucky now, but they were also very unlucky for years.

As for City, Soriano added: “We are patient, it is not an obsession, we will win it at the right time.”