Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro: It's been a tough year for us

Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro said they gave it all and fought hard even when Atletico Madrid were leading in their match on Saturday. Both Real and Atletico were trailing at half-time break in their matches. But Atletico turned it around against Real Valladolid at the start of the second half, whereas Los Blancos had to wait till the end to win the match through two late goals from Karim Benzema and Luka Modric. The results meant Atletico secured their first La Liga title in seven years.

After the match, Casemiro said, “We had to win the game and then see what Atletico managed to do in Valladolid. They won it and did their job. We have to congratulate them, they’ve won LaLiga. Congratulations to everyone. Of course we were paying attention to what was going on but we were focused on ourselves. We fought hard and even when Atleti were winning and we were behind, we battled and worked hard. We gave it everything, just like this badge demands. We did what we needed to do, which was win the game.”

‘Tough year’

While assessing the season, Casemiro conceded that it was a “tough year” for them. “We have had over 60 injuries, it’s been a tough year, with COVID. We were one game from the Champions League final and we fought to the last match in La Liga. This badge demands that you win things.”

“All of the players are proud, it’s been a year of battling and hard work and we should be proud. It’s been a very tough year for us. The champions are the team who win the most games, Atletico won the most and I congratulate them. We can’t make excuses. Madrid never make excuses. If they’ve won more points we have to congratulate them.”

He was happy to get the win in a difficult match against Villarreal. “We were up against a very good Villarreal side. They’re going to play in the Europa League final and I wish them all the luck in the world. They’re towards the top of the table. We knew it would be a tough game, but we got the job done and won the match.”