Over the years, we’ve come to know that tennis superstar Rafael Nadal is a Real Madrid supporter.
Yep, despite the fact his uncle played for their El Clasico rivals Barcelona, Rafa has made it pretty clear that his footballing allegiances lie at the Bernabeu – even going as far as claiming he’d quite fancy being the club’s president at some point.
With all this in mind, the sight of the 31-year-old in attendance at Arsenal’s Europa League semi-final defeat to Atletico Madrid last week caused a bit of controversy. Sitting in the Wanda Metropolitano’s posh seats, cameras spotted Rafa wearing what appeared to be Atleti colours around his neck as the game neared the final whistle.
Needless to say, this didn’t sit well with many Real fans (or football fans in general, for that matter), many making their opinions known on social media.
That won't go down well with Real Madrid fans https://t.co/9NK18u1xFu
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) May 4, 2018
Asked about the matter, Nadal has now attempted to defend himself.
“Well, there is a problem with today’s society,” he explained. “To be a true supporter of one team, it seems that you have to be anti another team,” he is quoted as saying on Monday.
“I just support Real Madrid. I have a lot of friends that are from Atletico. They are playing in a competition in Europe against an English team.
“I just went there to support Atletico Madrid. They invited me. I just wanted to enjoy the day, to see a great football match.”
Explaining why he’d been seen with Atleti colours tied around his neck, he added:
“The (club’s) president gave me a shirt as a gift. At night it was a little bit chilly, a little bit cold, and I just used it as a scarf. That’s all. But it’s always the same stuff.
“Maybe there’s too much hypocrisy, or I would say you people in the media have to write too many things, so you have to explore some stupid things.”
