Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta said that his team wants to win the Clasico “to dedicate it to (Johan) Cruyff,” the recently-deceased Dutch soccer legend.
“The best tribute we can pay Cruyff is to do everything he taught us. We want to win so we can dedicate it to him”, Iniesta stressed in a press conference three day before the Clasico against Real Madrid at Camp Nou in week 31 of La Liga.
This Clasico will be the first tribute to the former Barcelona manager who died on March 24 at the age of 68, after a battle with cancer.
Asked on how Barcelona will face the match against Madrid and if it can repeat the last victory, Iniesta said “El Clasico is always a different game… We want to win without paying attention to anything else.”
“Both teams know each other very well, and I hope the fans can enjoy the game. We have the desire and enthusiasm to finish the season in the best way possible,” he added.
As for La Liga, the Barca captain said his team does not face rivals while taking point difference into account, but focuses on just winning the match.
He did not have an opinion on whether or not Real Madrid has changed under Zinedine Zidane’s command, and opined that Los Blancos is always “a dangerous team”.
“We’re focused on going about our business as well as possible and showing all due respect to Real Madrid because they deserve it. They’re always capable of beating you,” he said.
He talked about Sergio Ramos, the Real Madrid captain and called him one of the best in central defense and a strong rival.
Iniesta responded to a question about his physical state after the muscle injury in the Champions League round of 16 against Arsenal, saying that he is better and gradually training with the team.
