“We’ve Won Enough”: Real Madrid Legend Explains Club’s Humiliating Champions League Exit

• Real Madrid legend Hugo Sanchez has reviewed the club's Champions League performance
• Madrid exited the UCL at the semi-final stage after being whitewashed by Man City
• This year's Champions League final will be contested between Man City and Inter Milan

Hugo Sanchez has downplayed Real Madrid's inability to defend their UEFA Champions League title this season.

Sanchez's Los Blancos were bundled out of the 2022-23 Champions League with their tails in between their legs when Manchester City picked them apart across two legs.

The Premier League champions played out a 1-1 draw with Madrid in the first leg before making light work of their illustrious opponents in the reverse tie, beating Carlo Ancelotti's men 4-0, Eurosport reports.

Sanchez, who left an indelible mark on the team's history during his spell with Real Madrid, argued the club had dominated Europe's premier club competition for long. Hence, their semi-final exit paves the way for other teams to have a foretaste of the Holy Grail.

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"Sadly, Real Madrid couldn't reach another Champions League Final, but we've won enough, so we have to give a chance to others who have won very few," he explained to MARCA Mexico.

In Madrid's absence from this year's UCL final, Manchester City, who have been tagged as overwhelming favourites, will be aiming for their first-ever European crown when they cross swords with three-time winners Inter Milan in the final slated for Saturday, June 10, at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey.

Real Madrid's UCL titles

The Spanish side has won a total of 14 trophies, making Los Blancos the most successful club in the history of the competition.

Their closest challenger, AC Milan, lags behind with a mere seven titles, which is exactly half of the remarkable tally held by Real Madrid.

Underlining their dominance in the competition, Madrid have won five Champions League titles in the last ten years, averaging a title in every two years.

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Who is Hugo Sanchez?

Hugo Sanchez is a Mexican football icon who made his name with Spanish giants Real Madrid in seven trophy-laden seasons between 1985 and 1992.

Considered the greatest footballer to have come from the Latin American country, Sanchez became a cult figure at the Santiago Bernabeu owing to his clinical finishing, top scoring in La Liga in four consecutive seasons from 1985 to 1988.

During his stint at Real Madrid, Sanchez won five La Liga titles, as well as the Copa del Rey in 1989 and the Spanish Super Cup in 1988 and 1989.

UCL final referee under investigation

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that the governing body for football in Europe - UEFA - has begun to investigate referee, Szymon Marciniak after he was spotted talking to a far-right politician.

Marciniak, who is due to officiate the Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter Milan on June 10, now faces being stood down pending the results of the investigation.

The Athletic reports that Marciniak was seen talking to Slawomir Mentzen - the leader of the Confederation Party who is known for his anti-Semitic and homophobic positions - at a networking event.