Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara is full of praise for Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos.

Liverpool will soon face Real Madrid in the Champions League, and Thiago gave his take on coming up against international teammate Sergio Ramos - who has recent history with the Reds.

He told AS: “I love having Sergio in the national team as a partner and when we are rivals, then he will be my rival."

Thiago added: “It's great to play with Sergio. The years go by and you keep learning from him, he keeps evolving, he still wants to compete, his main feature is this ambition, this struggle and he passes it on to us in the national team and we can learn from a guy who with so much success and with so much recognition in football still wants more."

On Madrid, Thiago said: "We have received the [Madrid draw] with all the respect in the world, with respect for a knockout of a Champions League quarter-final, wanting to be able to play the matches. It is a wonderful competition, against a fantastic team. We face Real Madrid with the respect we owe."