German legend Franz Beckenbauer says Real Madrid are worthy European champions.

Beckenbauer believes Real's improved defensive play helped overcome Atletico Madrid on Saturday in Milan.

"From my point of view, Real Madrid deserved the victory even though the game hung in the balance for a long time," said the "Kaiser" in his regular column for dpa.

Beckenbauer, who won three European Cups with Bayern Munich in the 1970s, said that one of the keys to the success of Real Madrid was the defensive effort of their forwards.

"In the past, you did not see Cristiano Ronaldo down the field during a game helping the defence. Now these tasks are also a thing of Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and the rest of the front players."