'Tadej Pogacar is living history' - Matxin urges fans to appreciate World Champion and not compare to Merckx

UAE Team Emirates-XRG Sports Manager Matxin Joxean Fernandez reflected on a record-breaking season, which saw the team win 95 races and suggested that the World Champion Pogačar should be appreciated for his own achievements rather than being compared to 'The Cannibal’, Eddy Merckx.

"It's not a topic that obsesses us. These are different times, and cycling is different,” said Matxin in an interview with Eurosport. “You have to enjoy him [Pogačar] and not compare him to Merckx.”

“Tadej Pogačar is living history, and all of us who love cycling, regardless of which cyclist we like, should be proud to be able to say, ‘I saw Tadej Pogačar win races.’ We're always in a constant state of comparison, and it seems that if he's not Merckx... no, he's Tadej Pogacar,” said Matxin.

“It's a totally different kind of cycling. Cycling from five years ago to today has changed a lot. Imagine cycling decades ago. I think we have to enjoy ourselves, and at no point are we thinking about whether he'll set a record or whether he's better than Eddy Merckx or any other cyclist,” said Matxin. 

After winning a record-breaking fifth consecutive Il Lombardia, becoming the first rider to win five straight editions of any monument, Pogačar himself admitted in his post-race press conference that he had spoken to Merckx, but admitted he doesn’t enjoy the regular comparisons “I don’t really like that comparison,” said Pogačar. “I don’t feel comfortable being compared to him all the time.”

Pogačar was the figurehead for UAE’s record-breaking season of 95 wins, smashing a 16–year record of 85 set by Columbia in 2009. The World Champion claimed 20 of those victories, and looking ahead to 2026, Matxin confirmed that the Tour de France remains the priority for the Slovenian, who could win a record-equally fifth yellow jersey.

"Next year, he could go down in history as winner of five Tours de France, and we're heading in that direction," said Matxin. "It's obvious that the Tour de France is the most important race in the world, and I'm not shying away from that idea."

Despite his Tour de France obligation, Pogačar’s desire and passion for the Classics is obvious, with Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix missing from the Slovenian’s collection, despite coming close in 2025 with 3rd and 2nd place finishes respectively behind Mathieu van der Poel, something Matxin noted.

"He hasn't yet won a Vuelta a España, a Milan-San Remo, a Paris-Roubaix. He hasn't won Itzulia, Romandie, or Switzerland... there are still races to go," said Matxin.

When asked about the possibility of Pogačar targeting La Vuelta in the future, Matxin echoed similar views recently made by Mauro Gianetti, admitting the challenge of combining it with the Tour and World Championships in 2026, with a course in Montréal, Canada, for the Worlds that will see Pogačar as favourite to defend his rainbow jersey.

"La Vuelta is a goal we'd like to achieve at some point. Without a doubt. 100%. But with the current calendar, if you want to do the Tour, Vuelta, and World Championships, it means spending four months away from home and being in peak condition. And right now, that's not the most feasible option," he explained.

Though Matxin also illustrated his desire to see the Slovenian star tick off the final Grand Tour for his collection at the Vuelta later down the line, a race in which he made his Grand Tour debut in 2019, finishing 3rd with three stage wins, but has not since returned to. "La Vuelta is a goal we'd like to achieve at some point. Without a doubt. 100%,” said Matxin.