The Belgian Jan Vertonghen, Tottenham Hotspur's defender, praised Real Madrid on Tuesday, their opponent tomorrow in the fourth day of the Champions League, and assured that the current European champion "has been the most consistent team in the last four or five years".
"Two weeks ago we did very well at the Santiago Bernabeu. That match gave us a lot of confidence to move forward. As we did then, we must also focus on ourselves now. We know that Real has quality and that their players make the difference: they have been the most consistent team in Europe in recent years," said Vertonghen.
"We have an important test tomorrow, but we also have tests like this every week in the Premier League. Madrid has highly talented players, but we have shown that we can compete against any team. And that's what we did at the Bernabeu," he said.
Doubt about Kane and the absence of Bale. When asked about the presence of Kane and the absence of his former teammate Gareth Bale, Vertonghen commented that it is "a shame" that the Welsh winger is not there, while also stating that they are "delighted" to have their goal scorer back, but emphasized that they have shown they can win without him.
"I played here with him (Bale) and he's a great guy. It's always special to see him and it's a shame that he won't be in such an important duel," he stressed.
About Kane, he said that "it's great that he's back, but we have shown that we can win without Harry. And that's our intention: to go out and win with or without Harry." "He's a very important player for us, both on and off the pitch," replied Vertonghen, who refused to compare the English star with Cristiano Ronaldo.
"Both are incredible players. Cristiano deserves respect for everything he has won and is still winning. It's hard to compare them, but for me, Harry is one of the best '9' in the world; maybe the best. And he is proving it every week. I would not trade Kane for any other player," said the Belgian about the English international and Cristiano, who have scored 44 goals each this year.
EFE.
