Atletico Madrid defender Diego Godin has admitted that he was glad Barcelona won La Liga rather than Real Madrid.
The battle for the Spanish title was a three-horse race until the penultimate weekend of the season, when Godin’s Atleti—who had been second at the start of play—slipped out of the race with a shock defeat at Levante.
The Rojiblancos’ failure meant that eternal rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona contested the title heading into the final weekend, with Los Merengues ultimately falling short as Barca won at Granada to move out of reach.
Barca ended the season on 91 points, with Real on 90 and Atletico—who defeated Celta Vigo 2-0 at home on Saturday—down in third on 88 points.
Speaking on COPE’s Le Partido de las 12 radio show, Godin has admitted that while he was hurt by Atleti’s title failure, the blow was softened due to Barca pipping Real.
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“It hurt less,” the Uruguay international began, when asked how he felt when Barcelona clinched the title, “because our city rivals are Real Madrid.”
Atleti will get the chance to make up for their domestic failure when they meet city rivals Real in the final of the Champion League on May 28, with Diego Simeone’s side gunning to win the club’s first-ever European Cup.