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Patrice Evra has revealed that he will shake hands with Luis Suarez seconds before the Champions League final kicks off.
Juventus will take on Barcelona for the right to be crowned champion of Europe, four years after Suarez was banned for racially abusing Evra during a Premier League match between Manchester United and Liverpool.
The Uruguayan striker was subsequently banned for eight games and fined £40,000 after being found guilty of racially abusing Evra. The two then clashed once again when Suarez returned to action, only to refuse to shake the Frenchman’s hand to cause further controversy.
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Speaking after Juventus drew 1-1 with Real Madrid to reach the 6 June final, Evra revealed that he will do his talking on the pitch and is happy to shake hands with his opponent because he is “proud about my colour”.
“A lot of people ask me this question,” said Evra when asked about shaking Suarez’s hand. “It doesn't matter. The most important thing is I play the final, you know.
“I am proud to be what I am, I am proud about my colour and I will shake his hand, it is no problem, but I will make sure he feels my presence on the pitch.”
Evra also praised Juventus’ work rate and team spirit after overcoming the talented individuals that make up the Real side. Despite having the two most expensive players among their ranks in the form of Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo, Real were unable to beat Juventus and overturn the 2-1 defeat they suffered in Turin.
“I think, you know we work really hard, you have to congratulate as well the boss because tactically he's really, really good,” Evra added.
“You know, game-by-game we believed we could do something big this year. I don't know if people believed we'd make the final. But like I say every time I play this competition I'm really confident to go to the final, like i did with Monaco, with Manchester [United] and now with Juve.”
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