Real Madrid face Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final on Saturday, and Rio Ferdinand has revealed why he’s backing the German side to triumph.
Wembley plays host to the biggest game in club football, with Spanish champions Real heavily fancied to win a record extending 15th European crown.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side boast some of the world’s best players including England superstar Jude Bellingham, but there is plenty of quality to be found in Dortmund’s squad.
One such player is another Englishman: Jadon Sancho, who returned to the Bundesliga giants on loan in January having been exiled from the Manchester United first-team.
The winger had a public falling out with manager Erik ten Hag, for which he was heavily criticised by fans and some pundits, especially given his highly underwhelming performances since moving to Old Trafford for £73million in 2021.
But back at Dortmund, the 24-year-old looks like a player reborn, with his efforts helping his side pull off shock wins over Atletico Madrid and PSG on the way to Wembley.
It is this comeback story that has prompted Ferdinand to put his support behind the underdogs, telling the Daily Mail: ‘I’d love Jadon to win it for that reason.
‘I don’t really care about Dortmund, I don’t care who wins this, really, if I’m honest.
‘But for someone like Jadon, it’d be great for young people to see people that can go through a little bit of downturn in confidence.
‘Have to change environment, club, etc, be vilified at times, be on the receiving end of bit criticism, but then come out the other end and produce some performances. Get to a place where actually, I can be successful over here now.
‘And it just shows that if you’ve got that resilience and that character and that support, then anything is possible.
‘But listen, he’s playing against Real Madrid. It will be very difficult.’
The United legend would later add that beating Los Blancos would be ‘a step too far’ for BVB, predicting a 2-0 victory for the former.
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