"I was enjoying every Barcelona defeat" - When Real Madrid fan Khabib Nurmagomedov weighed in on 'sinking ship' Barcelona

Khabib Nurmagomedov claims to have enjoyed every Barcelona defeat since 1993, the year he became a Real Madrid fan. The former UFC lightweight champion was asked to weigh in on Barcelona's poor form after their early exit from the UEFA Champions League last year.

According to Nurmagomedov, Barcelona's freshly appointed manager, Xavi, was thrown to a 'sinking ship'. Whilst they were arch-rivals at one point, 'The Eagle' didn't see any competition between Madrid and Barcelona.

In an earlier interview, the former UFC lightweight champion said in Russian:

"I think Xavi was thrown to the sinking ship. He must go there, go here, to fix holes now, but the water is oming inside...No look, now I am a popular person. It would be wrong to be sarcastic when people have problems. I am a fan of Real [Madrid] since 1993. I was enjoying every Barcelona defeat. Today there is no competition."

Watch Nurmagomedov's take on the El Clasico rivals below:

Barcelona were eliminated from the Champions League group stage last year for the first time in 21 years. Manager Ronald Koeman was replaced shortly after by Barcelona alum Xavi, under whom the team has shown signs of progress.

---

Khabib Nurmagomedov was impressed by Karim Benzema's performance against PSG

An ardent soccer fan, Khabib Nurmagomedov has even confessed that he would have chosen a career in football if not MMA. Forever loyal to Real Madrid, Nurmagomedov closely follows the club in all competitions.

'The Eagle' was left impressed by club staple Karim Benzema's performance in Real Madrid's win over French franchise Paris St. Germain. Lauding Benzema's match-winning hat-trick, 'The Eagle' wrote on Instagram:

"MashaAllah brother, it was best game of your life. Very happy for you. You deserve everything @karimbenzema"

Khabib Nurmagomedov's Instagram story praising Karim Benzema (Image credit: khabib_nurmagomedov Instagram)

PSG already had a 1-0 lead going into the second leg against Real Madrid. However, that would be negated by a spectacular hat-trick from Benzema, leading to Real Madrid's win with a 3-2 scoreline over two legs. The La Liga giants will now be competing in the Champions League finals against Liverpool after beating Manchester City in a semi-final thriller.