Madrid, Aug 28 (IANS) Spanish football giants Real Madrid’s star footballer Cristiano Ronaldo said the club’s target is to win the 2015-16 Champions League tournament despite being handed a “difficult” draw at the group stage of the competition.
The Rafael Benitez-coached side are placed in the same pool as French Ligue 1 title holders Paris Saint-Germain, Ukrainian Premier League runners-up Shakhtar Donetsk and Swedish champions Malmo, as they bid to win the trophy for a record 11th time.
“More or less the goal remains the same as last year and always. We know that the group stage will be difficult but we will try to pass and win the competition. We’ll see what happens,” Ronaldo was quoted as saying by goal.com on Thursday after the draw was released.
Madrid were crowned champions of Europe in 2014, beating city rivals Atletico Madrid in the final in Lisbon, but were unable to retain the trophy last season as they were beaten by Italian side Juventus in the semi-finals.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, failed to win the best player in Europe award for the last season, with Spanish champions FC Barcelona’s star striker Lionel Messi collecting the accolade after playing a key role in his side’s treble trophy-winning campaign.