Federico Valverde, the Uruguayan international midfielder for Real Madrid, explained why, despite being one of the chosen penalty takers by the coaching staff for the shootout against Manchester City at the Etihad, he asked not to take one, setting aside "pride" and "ego".

"That night, I was talking about it and I went to bed with the remorse of having the opportunity to leave that mark in Real Madrid's history, to advance to the semis with a contribution of mine in penalties, which I'm good at, but in the end, I enjoyed a lot having qualified," he reflected in the press room at the Allianz Arena, acknowledging the thoughts that crossed his mind at that moment.

Valverde felt exhausted after his tremendous physical effort in the game and the extra time, lacking the confidence to take a crucial penalty to continue in the Champions League. He prioritized the team's well-being over his own.

"I like to qualify however it may be, I enjoy winning, and it was that bitter taste that sometimes one has to set aside pride, that ego, and see that they're not as prepared as they thought," he confessed.

"The tiredness, the fatigue, played a trick on me at that moment, and I chose to tell the coaching staff that I wasn't ready to take the penalty. I hope that in the future, my mind will be strong enough to take it and not go through the same thing," he added.