Alberto Contador urges Tadej Pogacar to return to the Vuelta a Espana: "He has to put it in his palmares, it's the only one he lacks"

Despite being only 26 years old, Tadej Pogacar is already in the discussion of the greatest cyclists of all time. He may still be behind Eddy Merckx, but he doesn't have much to envy any of the others. To top it off, in 2024 he completed simply the best individual season in history, or at least one of them.

The Slovenian has won the Giro d'Italia, added a third Tour de France, took a Rainbow Jersey at the World Championship and added two Monuments to his list of honours. However, his ambition knows no bounds and he hopes to equal or even better it, if possible, in 2025. There are strong rumors that he could contest the Vuelta a Espana, the only Grand Tour he lacks on his palmarès. He made his name there in 2019, when he finished third and took three stage wins.

During the broadcast of the Clásica de Almería on Eurosport, the legend of Spanish cycling, Alberto Contador, gave his opinion on the matter. The man from Pinto understands that UAE Team Emirates - XRG does not yet want to confirm that Pogi will be in the Vuelta this year, but he has made it clear that he should seriously consider it and complete his palmares in three-week races.

"I think it's good that he says so. If it is not 100% certain, if there is some variant, it is better for him to say this than for everyone to get their hopes up, to assume that Pogacar is coming and then in the end it is not so. I think they still have time to decide. It's true that I think he has to include the Vuelta a España in his list of winners. It's true that he's very young and that, in principle, he gives the impression that he's got a long way to go. But, well, it's the only Grand Tour he's missing in his list of winners," Contador commented.