Juanfran has hit back at Sergio Ramos' praise of Real Madrid as "God's team" by suggesting that Atletico Madrid are "the team of the humble," reports AS.
Atletico edged both Real and Barcelona last season to land the Liga title, though Diego Simeone's men lost the Champions League final 4-1 to their city rivals.
Los Blancos' success in Lisbon saw them qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup tournament this month, which they won after beating San Lorenzo 2-0 in the final on Saturday.
Prior to Saturday's match, Ramos -- who scored the opener in the final -- joked that if Argentine opponents San Lorenzo were the Pope's team, then "God and the rest of the world are Real Madrid fans."
However, Juanfran responded to Ramos via the radio station Onda Cero: "If Real Madrid are God's team, Atletico are the team of the humble and the hardworking and those with a lot of heart. I don't know if God is all of that."
Despite the Liga champions trailing Real by four points having played a game more going into the winter break, the full-back is confident his side can fight to retain the title.
"I am more about making ratings at the end of the year but 2014 has been very nice. In any case, I think that 2015 is going to be better, and Atletico are calm," he added.
"The team is trained to be like so because of the commitment that we have, the coach, the players, the way we train. Next year will be just as good or better."