Ancelotti: "This Champions League was won with sacrifice and quality"

"We've had a perfect season. My team and my players have been outstanding," said the coach.

Ancelotti: "This Champions League was won with sacrifice and quality"
NEWS.

Carlo Ancelotti appeared in the press room at Wembley Stadium and only had words of praise for Real Madrid, who are now European champions after beating Borussia Dortmund: "This season we've had a lot of problems and lost quality players. We made up for it with commitment and collective suffering. This Champions League was won with both sacrifice and quality. One of the two was not enough. I'm satisfied with the squad."

"We never gave up. We give ourselves a ten out of ten for the season. We've had a perfect season. We handled it very well. My team and my players have been outstanding."

Analysis of the game
"In football, when you don't take your chances, the risk of conceding or losing the lead is very high. They played better than us, but they left us with options, with the game even, and in the second half, when we played better and with more balance, we won the game. I'm very happy. This is the ninth final that Madrid have won in a row and the danger of not winning it was real. Dortmund were a very uncomfortable opponent."

The half-time talk
"I didn't need to get angry but to clarify things. Dortmund did very well and we didn't have balance. We lost the ball in the opposition half and we weren't well-positioned. We changed the system to 4-3-3 and it worked out better, as did the attitude in the second half. In the dressing room we were quite calm and we discussed the change of system together. The players agreed to change it and we did."

Kroos' retirement
"We're very grateful to him. He's ended on the highest note possible. He had the balls to finish. He's a legend and he was very happy. All madridistas thank him for what he has done. Not only for his play but also for his attitude, professionalism and seriousness. He hasn't missed a day in these ten years. I've told him that we're waiting for him and that if he changes his mind we'll be there."

Objectives for next season
"We are losing a very important player, but we have players to replace him. We'll adapt to the characteristics of the players we have and we'll have to play differently. We have fantastic players and the resources to be competitive,"

"You never have a full belly here. Let's enjoy tomorrow, which will be another fantastic day with the fans. Then we'll rest and we'll come back with the same desire and enthusiasm as always. The next challenge is to try to do the best I can. This competition has given me incredible happiness as a player and coach and the objective is to try to repeat this emotion. I'm lucky to be at the best club in the world."

His second spell at Madrid
"It was difficult to imagine that in three years you could win two European Cups and two LaLiga titles with a team that is changing little by little. It's the best team in the world and being here is a great gift. I'm enjoying it and trying to get the best out of it."
"I have my son as my assistant and he can tell me things that nobody can tell me. We feel at home on a day-to-day basis and we're a family, like Real Madrid. That's what makes us stand out. It's a football family. Everyone works and there is a very healthy atmosphere created by the tradition of the club. Working in a family is better than in an industry."