Former Bayern Munich striker Mario Gomez called the Santiago Bernabeu the best stadium in the world in his interview with Relevo.
He was asked about winning a penalty shootout against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, and he said: “We won on penalties. Imagine the Santiago Bernabéu and everyone against us. For me, it’s the best stadium in the world. Going from midfield to the penalty area and you’re up against Casillas on penalties… But I scored. It was a great memory.
Gomez then talked about his experience playing at the Bernabeu, and what his then-manager Jupp Heynckes said to the team before the game.
He said: “In the pre-match meeting, Heynckes told us: ‘Guys, there’s only one thing today: survive. We have to survive the first 10 minutes because this stadium is something else. You’ll notice the energy they give their players at the start of the match. You’ll never experience anything like this. We have to hold on and fight. We can’t let them score.’
“We start… Ten minutes in, 2-0 for Real Madrid,” he continued. “They were like a train running over us. ‘Holy sh*t, what’s going on here?’
“It was so intense, I’ve never felt anything like that again. Xabi Alonso passing the ball to Di María or Cristiano, you couldn’t defend against them.
“Our luck was that after the 2-0, they dropped a bit, relaxed, and we got back into the game. They gave us a penalty. Pepe fouled me and Robben scored to make it 2-1.”
He was also asked about the most talented strikers of the generation, which he answered by naming two of the greatest Real Madrid forwards of all time.
He said: “There are players like Ronaldo Nazário and Karim Benzema, who are the best strikers, who could do everything. I couldn’t.”
You can read the rest of the interview here.
