Toby Alderweireld returns to Madrid and hopes to exorcise ghosts of 2014

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The Tottenham defender was on the losing side against Real Madrid in the Champions League final five years ago

Toby Alderweireld has been close to a Champions League title before. Close enough, in fact, that there was probably someone squirrelling away trying to fix the colours of Atlético Madrid to the trophy. Time was running out in the 2014 final but as the clock ticked into the fourth added minute, Sergio Ramos rose to meet a corner and, like that, the chance was gone.

Alderweireld had entered the field at Lisbon’s Estádio da Luz in the 83rd minute as a substitute for Filipe Luís. Diego Simeone brought on the Belgian in place of the more attack-minded Brazilian in an attempt to close out the match. It was something his team had proved better at than almost any other side in Europe. But then Luka Modric drove the ball towards the penalty spot, Ramos shuffled five yards forward to lose a clutch of defenders and his formidable forehead did the rest. Real Madrid went on to win the match and the trophy 4-1 in extra time.

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from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/may/29/tottenham-toby-alderweireld-champions-league-final-liverpool

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