Real Madrid are a club “all about winning the Champions League”, according to Oliver Kahn, with the Liga giants prioritising success in Europe.
Already the most decorated club in continental competition, the Blancos are closing in on yet more history.
Saturday will see them grace a third successive Champions League final, with Zinedine Zidane’s side having already emerged victorious in each of the last two seasons – becoming the first club to claim back-to-back crowns in the modern era.
Liverpool stand between them and a 13th European Cup triumph, with Kahn conceding that those in the Spanish capital are driven by the desire to keep completing that challenge.
The former Germany international goalkeeper, who is now a coach with Madrid’s junior camps system, told SPOX: “At Real, only one thing counts.
“I've been at Real Madrid over the last few months and I've been running through the training centre and what do you see in every corner? If you're in the bathroom, what do you see? Everywhere is the Champions League trophy. It smells like that cup, it's crystal clear that this club is all about winning the Champions League.”
Madrid’s level of consistency in Europe is considered to be “madness” by Kahn, with the legendary keeper having managed to capture a famous trophy just once over the course of his iconic career – in 2001.
He is, however, delighted to see the Blancos prospering in the present, with Zidane’s dominant outfit boasting a German engine in the form of World Cup winner Toni Kroos.
The 28-year-old midfielder can be expected to have another important role to play against Liverpool in Kiev, with Kahn impressed at how Madrid are able to keep key men focused and motivated.
He added on the playmaking qualities of Kroos: “He shows his importance at Real Madrid again and again.
“He gets a kick in the butt from time to time so that he does not fall into monotony and focus solely on spreading the ball around.
“He is a very, very important factor and the heart of the team, both at Real Madrid and for the German national team at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.”