Gareth Bale reveals Champions League ambitions at launch of Real Madrid third kit
The Wales international wants the club to become the first to successfully defend a Champions League crown
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Your support makes all the difference.Gareth Bale says he wants to make history this season and help Real Madrid become the first club to successfully defend the Champions League.
The Welshman played a key role in helping Los Blancos to their long-awaited 'La Decima' last season by scoring the extra-time goal that put his side ahead for the first time against Atletico Madrid en route to an historic 4-1 victory in Lisbon.
Now he's hungry for more success in the world's biggest club competition and says this season's aim is to secure a second successive European Cup and become the first team to do so since the great Milan side of the late 1980s - and the first in the Champions League era, which started in the 1992-93 season.
"I think for all of us at the club, to win the Champions League was a dream last year and it was one the club has been trying to win for a while," said the former Tottenham Hotspur man at the launch of the club's new kit for the Champions League on Tuesday.
"We're now looking to the future and want to win the Champions League again and win as many trophies as we can. We want to try and make history and be the only club to win [the Champions League] back-to-back."
He added: "There's always pressure at a club like Real Madrid and we love to thrive off that pressure. We'll be doing that again this season."
The 25-year-old, who featured in Madrid's opening 2-0 victory over newly-promoted Cordoba at the Santiago Bernabeu on Monday night, helped unveil the club's third kit for this season alongside goalkeeper Iker Casillas, summer signing James Rodriguez, Marcelo and Xabi Alonso.
Designed by Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto, the all-black kit incorporates two dragons, one which symbolises "the greatness, glory and power of the club" and another which "represents the club's resistance, determination and agility". It replaces the orange kit sported by the Spanish capital club in last season's competition.
Bale enjoyed a tremendous debut season in the Champions League with Madrid last term, scoring six goals and contributing four assists from eight starts as Madrid lifted their tenth European Cup in the Portuguese capital against neighbours and La Liga champions Atletico.
Milan were the last side to win back-to-back European Cups in 1989, a 4-0 win over Steua Bucharest, and in 1990 thanks to a 1-0 success over Benfica. No team has managed a successful defence since the creation of the Champions League, however. Milan came close in 1995 but lost
1-0 to Ajax after thrashing Barcelona 4-0 the season before. Juventus and Manchester United have also reached finals the year after winning the competition but failed to make it two in a row.
Madrid will be hoping they can enter the history books this season and they will find out their opponents in this season's Group Stage when the draw is made in Moncao on Friday.
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