Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo has hit back at Bayern Munich midfielder Arturo Vidal after he described their football as “ugly”.
Diego Simeone’s side reached their second Champions League final in three seasons on Tuesday after an away-goals win over Bayern following their 2-1 defeat at the Allianz Arena.
Vidal was critical of Atletico’s style of play after the match, claiming they did not deserve to progress by way of adopting a defensive approach.
But Cerezo believes half the continent is rooting for Atletico to triumph this season and suggested Vidal is simply envious of their chance to contest the final in Milan.
“Our football is ugly? It’s fantastic, and we play to win. We’re in an enviable situation,” he told Radio Marca.
“A lot of people have congratulated me. Now more than half of Europe is Atletico Madrid!
“You have to congratulate the team, the players, the coaches and the fans. And you have to give thanks for this win which takes us to the final.”
He added: “We got past PSV, Barcelona and Bayern. Whoever we face now, we’ll give the same.
“The players are very well prepared and have a terrible excitement. We had the belief we could get to Milan and we did. We’re still believing in La Liga and we’re up there.
“I always say that the Champions League is possible for us. It would be our first and it would end a fantastic season.”
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