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Celtic head coach Ange Postecoglou believes Real Madrid legend Ferenc Puskas would have been delighted for him to face Los Blancos in the UEFA Champions League.
Postecoglou, who joined as the Bhoys manager last summer, guided Celtic to the Scottish Premiership title last season ahead of arch-rivals Rangers. He has helped the club qualify for the group stages of the prestigious continental competition after a gap of five years.
Celtic have been clubbed with UEFA Champions League holders Real Madrid, RB Leipzig, and Shakhtar Donetsk in Group F this season.
Former Australia boss Postecoglou became acquainted with Puskas when the latter was South Melbourne's head coach from 1989 to 1992. Speaking to reporters ahead of his side's trip to Dundee United on August 28, the tactician said (via BBC):
"It's a shame he's not around to see it. I was pretty fortunate and blessed to have him as my manager for three years. I asked as many questions as I could about his whole Real Madrid experience."
He continued:
"That was such a fantastic team, not just in the timespan of when he was playing but also beyond that. They really established themselves as one of the world's greatest sides with the football they played."
He added that Celtic want to compete in the Champions League and against the best opposition like Real Madrid. He said:
"We want to be in the Champions League so we can test ourselves against the best and that is what we will be doing. You can pay for a tour of the Bernabeu, anyone can do that, so as an experience it's not that unique. What you want to do is make sure you have these opportunities, and that is what I have tried to do in my career."
Apart from Celtic, Rangers have qualified for the UEFA Champions League from the Scottish league. The Giovanni van Bronckhorst-coached side have been grouped with Liverpool, Napoli and Ajax in Group A of the competition.
The UEFA Champions League group stage is set to begin on September 6 and is scheduled to conclude on November 2.
Karim Benzema set to extend his contract at Real Madrid till 2024
According to Marca, Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema is set to extend his contract with the club until 2024.
Benzema, 34, is the runaway favorite to win this year's Ballon d'Or award. He won the UEFA Men's Player of the Year award on August 25.
He guided Los Blancos to the La Liga and UEFA Champions League trophies last season along with the Supercopa de Espana. During the 2021-22 campaign, he registered 44 goals and 15 assists in 46 games across all competitions.
Benzema is Real Madrid's second-highest goalscorer of all-time with 325 goals, only behind Cristiano Ronaldo, who has scored 450 goals for the club.
