Neither Haaland Nor De Bruyne, Florentino Was Impressed by a Manchester City Player: He Wanted to Sign Him

Real Madrid was vastly superior to Manchester City in their recent encounter, but some players from the English side had impressive performances.

Florentino Pérez showed admiration and interest in the performance of Josko Gvardiol, arguably one of the best from the City squad. The Croatian was on Real Madrid’s future list, but Manchester City paid nearly €80 million and secured his signing. Florentino was impressed by Gvardiol’s performance and continues to see great potential in him. However, Gvardiol is under contract until 2028 and has a market value of €75 million.

While it’s practically impossible to sign him now, Gvardiol would be an intriguing option due to his versatility—he plays as both a central defender and as a left-back, excelling in both roles. At just 23 years old, he’s a well-rounded player with the potential to become one of the world’s best defenders over the next decade, provided he maintains regularity.

At Real Madrid, they were also pleased with the defensive performances of Asencio and Tchouaméni. Both players marked Haaland well for the majority of the match. Despite one of Haaland’s goals, where Asencio was caught out of position and Haaland managed to get behind him, the defenders were alert to his movements and didn’t allow him to shoot comfortably.

The Return Leg Still to Be Played

The second leg at the Santiago Bernabéu is still to come, and prudence is key. Manchester City won’t give up easily, and the difference is only one goal. Therefore, it’s crucial to have another solid performance. Ideally, at home, the team will feel more comfortable and go for the victory, knowing that Guardiola’s men will be under pressure to score and will leave more gaps at the back.

Nevertheless, there is no hiding the optimism in the Madrid dressing room. Things have been done very well so far, and it looks like the team is continuing the positive momentum from the second half against Atlético Madrid. If they maintain this form, they could achieve significant things this season, but they can’t take their foot off the pedal.

Aiming for the 16th

Real Madrid’s players are highly motivated to win another Champions League. Especially Kylian Mbappé, who has yet to lift a European trophy. The French forward is very motivated to make history at Real Madrid, and he enjoyed a memorable European night, scoring the equalizer when his team needed it most.

There are still many matches ahead, as the round of 16 is ongoing. Therefore, the focus is on taking things step by step. First, the team needs to eliminate Manchester City, and then think about the next opponent, which could be Bayer Leverkusen or Atlético Madrid.