Salamander
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- Dec 7, 2012
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Former Real Madrid president Ramón Calderón attended reporters at the Desafío Nacex event and responded to a few questions:
Benitez-Zidane?
"I could tell the players were aware of a massive bombardment from the boardroom. They showed support for a coach who was sacked two weeks after being ratified and in his place they brought in a coach whose only experience was in the Second Division B. They have a goalkeeper (Keylor) who they wanted to sell, and who only stayed by pure chance and now they're dreaming that they finally get De Gea, after their keeper has saved them a lot of games and a lot of points. Then there was the whole Copa carry-on. In spite of all that, the team has shown great mental strength; the pedigree and intelligence within the side is not in any doubt at all”.
The team?
"The team is the set of players who put up with the club, no doubt about it. No one knows what'll happen at the end of the day or in the next game”.
Cristiano?
"His continuity depends on the president's football sticker-collecting habits. He likes expensive football stikers, paid for with money which is not his own. He's got the album but he doesn't know where to put the stickers, but in the last 10 league campaigns, there's only one 'x' on his file. That's a problem and means that none of us knows what's going to happen next”.
Madrid kidnapped?
"Real Madrid was once a democratic club, in which the club members could run for presidency, and that's why they are the owners. But for the last few years we have lived through the iron rule of a dictatorship and if you don't go by the name of Florentino Pérez Rodríguez, there is absolutely nothing you can do. In the past decade they have spent 1,000 million euros and won just one league. These are the statistics, not opinions. In Barcelona they'd love it if he stays”.
If Madrid end the season trophyless?
“If Mourinho doesn't sign for Manchester United, he will be Real Madrid's next coach. I am completely sure of that. If the team doesn't win anything, sadly, we'll be seeing Mourinho on the bench again. That's my feeling. He he returns then we'll be back to the war games, fire-starting, uncomfortable press conference, FIFA, UEFA, UNICEF… That wasn't the best time for the club. Now, without him, there's a lot more peace. He provoked a series of conflicts which no one wants and it's far from ideal. The president has been trying to coax him back for the past year, he's tried on a number of occasions. Florentino is going nuts to see Mourinho back at the club. If things don't go well, Zidane won't continue”.
Zidane?
"He came from the Segunda División B, the Third Division in Spain. I hope he's successful, it's clear he has the respect and admiration of the players and he knows what a dressing room full of stars is all about. But he's a Segunda B coach”. [Source AS]