Palmeiras coach Vanderlei Luxembourg He responded on Monday to the criticisms that Luis Figo gave him, with whom he coincided in 2005 at Real Madrid, and reminded him that it was the white club's board, and not him, who wanted him to leave the team.
Luxembourg led Palmeiras to the conquest of the Paulista Championship last Saturday by defeating Corinthians on penalties, a title for which he received the praise of Rivaldo, his former pupil. “Palmeiras, congratulations on a well-deserved title. I already had great coaches, but you, Luxembourg, were the best. Everything that coaches in Europe do today, you did 25 years ago”, expressed the world champion with Canarinha in 2002.
However, Luis Figo reacted to the post of the former Brazilian player and wrote: “Fiera, for me it was the worst, very bad.”
Luxembourg, 68, who was also Brazil's coach, said Monday that he prefers to stay with the opinion of Rivaldo, “a great player” who recognized that he was “the best coach he ever had.”
The Brazilian coach also hinted that Figo's dart is due to the Portuguese star blaming him for his departure from Real Madrid, which is not true, he explained. “He left Real Madrid at a time when he had to leave. The club wanted him to leave”, but “the player cannot understand that this is something that is part of professional football: leaving one club and going to another” , Indian.
Luxembourg reinforced that he does not “hold a grudge” against Figo and that it is his right to say that way. “But I prefer Rivaldo's opinion, who, like Figo, was not just anybody, he was a player of the highest level. Leave Figo's opinion alone,” he told the journalist at the virtual press conference.
Luxembourg returned to the Palmeiras bench in December 2019.
In his record, he has five Brazilian League titles won with Palmeiras (1993 and 1994), Corinthians (1998), Cruzeiro (2003) and Santos (2004). He also won the 1999 Copa América in Paraguay as Brazil coach.
In 2005 he managed Real Madrid, and before the end of that year he was dismissed, although in the summer of that year he had to face the controversial departure of Figo, who went to Inter Milan.