Valencia guard Brancou Badio spoke to “As” ahead of the start of the EuroLeague Final Four tournament in Athens, where his team will face Real Madrid.
Brancou Badio has delivered outstanding performances this season in the EuroLeague and was one of the key players in Valencia’s playoff victory over Panathinaikos as they made the Final Four in Greece. However, the Senegalese guard said it was far from easy to get there.
“We were nervous. It was a new situation for us because we had never played games like these before. We were more nervous than usual and lacked experience. For me, that was the hardest part. We never imagined all of this, but thank God we succeeded. Of course, we had the mentality to stay competitive and treat every game like a final. That’s how we won the series and reached the Final Four,” said Badio.
He also made an outlandish promise if Valencia wins the EuroLeague ultimately:
“I’ll say something crazy: I’ll change my hair color. I’d dye it brown with a little orange on the tips.”
He also reflected on his team’s ambitions heading into the Final Four:
“We’re going to Athens to compete. You can beat any team in this EuroLeague. We’re going to give it our all on the court to win. We are all very happy. We didn’t imagine all this, but thank God we’ve made it. We’re going to the Final Four to compete.”
The memory of the Copa del Rey semi-final loss to Real Madrid remains in his mind:
“Every game is a new game. It will be a new challenge for us and we are going to give it our all on the court.”
Real Madrid are missing Walter Tavares and Alex Len – is this an opportunity for Valencia?
“I suppose it could be because they are two great players, but Real Madrid has a great team,” said Badio.
The EuroLeague Final Four begins on Friday, May 22, with Valencia playing against Real Madrid with a 20:00 tip-off time.
Basketball Sphere presents: 27 players on our radar who could make the jump to a EuroLeague this summer. 👀 🟠
From France to Turkey, from the FIBA Champions League and EuroCup to domestic leagues… the best players from Bourg, Besiktas, Trabzonspor, plus some hidden gems from… pic.twitter.com/tUVNj91Xk6
— Basketball Sphere (@BSphere_) May 13, 2026