Anelka's first day in Madrid: “What am I doing here? It was the beginning of a nightmare”

With sincerity and openness. Nicolas Anelka reviews his Netflix documentary for a good part of his time at Real Madrid. The young Frenchman had already passed through Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal and arrived from London as the most expensive player in the history of football. The expectation was maximum. This is how he narrates and recalls several episodes of his time in Madrid.

The first day

Anelka did not have an easy first day in Madrid. He was introduced and started training with his teammates. With a borrowed kit, his first minutes in the locker room were not easy and helped him to get an idea of ​​what was coming. “I understood what it means to be a star when I came to Madrid … and I hated it. After the press conference, I got to the locker room. I got there first and sat down. Every player who came told me: “That's my place.” “Ah, excuse me, can I sit there?” “Yes, of course, there if” and another came and said: “That's my place.” Like this, like twenty times. I thought “What am I doing here?” This is going to be a harsh and hostile environment. ” That day was just the beginning of a nightmare, “he says.

The pressure

Getting to Real Madrid is not an easy task. Without Arsenal or PSG, they focus their attention, wearing white multiplies them. The Frenchman did not coexist at all well with the media pressure on his arrival in the capital. “The pressure was enormous from the beginning. I realized it because in the press, every day they talked about me or a photo of me appeared. He was not keeping up on the pitch, in part, because he had no private life. I could not do anything. I was 20 years old and couldn't go out. They talked about everything he did. If I bought something, it was in the newspapers. The press asks you to open up but I am not someone open. Maybe that had to do with my not being accepted into the team, that I wasn't good at things on the pitch, that the press wasn't on my side … “, the French narrates. His bad performance took him out of eleven and there, the rebellion began.

Strike and redemption

According to Anelka, he asked for a conversation with the club. Things did not go well for him and he ended up outside the eleven, relegated to the bench. He asked for explanations and they were deferred. Something that did not sit well with him and he acted accordingly. “I scored a goal (to Barcelona) and I was super happy. I didn't play well the next game and then I stopped being a starter. So I went to training one day and said, “We have to talk.” They told me: “After training” and I refused, I wanted it to be before training. They insisted that no, “that later”. I felt bad about their reaction and I thought that if they were edges, I would be too. He had a street mentality and was not at all docile. “He says. Thus, Anelka decided to go on strike and force the club to sit down with him. Lorenzo Sanz took action. “I missed and the president of the Real summoned me. We talked and he told me:” You better go tomorrow. “I replied:” We'll see what happens tomorrow. “ They blamed me for everything, even though I just wanted to be left alone to focus on football and show that I had talent and could play for Madrid, “he explains. Anelka did not attend and was fined by the club, suspended for several games and also with a remarkable amount of money.

With forgiveness, the young French striker returned to training and playing but his teammates pointed out that they did not like his behavior. “It was tough going back to training because the players were against me. Many of them came to get me in the field but I came from England I was used to the contact. There were some struggles and disputes on the field of play but later, everything returned to normal “, sentence.

A Champions and regrets

From maturity, Nico, as the majority of those interviewed call this film, recognizes that he was not successful during his time at Real Madrid and that he regrets having contributed so little despite the importance of those two goals that he scored. Bayern in the semifinals. “I helped Madrid win the eighth. I'm proud of it. I did not contribute almost anything at Real Madrid. I would have liked to contribute more but I did not have the opportunity. I didn't do well either. Many things happened. I have many regrets. I wanted to play for Real Madrid, but I was too young to understand that that meant sacrifices. I shouldn't have said or done certain things but when you do things for the first time, you don't know. It was early in my career. Maybe too soon. I did not know how to value it. I did not know that I would not win any more Champions. At 30, you understand the importance. You understand what the Champions is and you savor it in another way “, sentence.