Roncero: “We were fed up…”

Tomás Roncero, editor-in-chief of the Real Madrid section at Diario AS, enjoyed the Whites’ comeback against Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16. Despite Mbappé’s opening goal, Karim Benzema’s hat-trick settled the tie in favor of the Whites.

On Cadena SER’s El Larguero, Roncero explained how he saw the match and how he felt the Whites’ deed. “It’s been a long time since we’ve had a night like this (…) We were fed up with hearing that PSG, that if it’s impossible to get Mbappé out… Madrid is a legend. They try to make history at the stroke of a checkbook. All this atmosphere, what was experienced even in the match against Real Sociedad, was the beginning of the comeback. The Real Madrid fans are demanding, but when they play, they play,” he assured.

The journalist also wanted to assess Mbappé’s match and his possible signing. “Every time Mbappé had the ball… he panicked. He reminded me of the times of Ronaldo. He saw Carvajal, Militao, Alaba suffer… Messi and Neymar did not worry me knowing that they have quality and genius for what they have been. Mbappé is at his best cooking point. Yesterday he saw the Bernabéu and thought: it’s great that I’m coming here. He is not stupid, he must have thought today what was happening on the field. The second part, with Messi and Neymar, is playing with two less. Pochettino is a coward, he has not dared to remove them,” he added.

The rest of the teammates also participated in the Sanhedrin, giving their opinions on Real Madrid’s two-goal victory against the Parisians. Antonio Romero took advantage of the occasion to defend Ancelotti. “Ancelotti received a lot of criticism after the first leg and he had to hear that there were no legs, that he had killed the footballers and today, I think, that Ancelotti’s figure must be valued. He has been right with the changes, he has eaten Pochettino and has died with his ideas. It’s fair to say that he’s counted two ears and one tail,” he explained.

Julio Pulido explained the envy that Madrid generated during the night of this Wednesday. “The only thing that stands out about Real Madrid is Benzema and Modric. There is no sporting explanation for today. This team, in this state, never gives up. Today Mbappé found out why he has to sign for this team. Madrid is generating a lot of envy tonight. There are many teams that would like to have that competitive gene and they don’t. Only Real Madrid has it,” he said.

Jesús Gallego, meanwhile, focused on Messi and his physical condition. “Messi is in a state of physical form… tremendous. He was three meters ahead of Modric in a race and in the end he overtook him. The people have gone crazy and it has been the sample of what has happened in the match”, he sentenced.