Makelele and his divorce with Madrid: “They told me that I should already consider myself happy to play”

Claude Makelele, a former French midfielder, has analyzed his career in an extensive interview on 'Four Four Two'. On his journey at Real Madrid, he says that it was difficult for him to change the whistles of the Bernabéu for applause.

His arrival in Madrid: “They called the team 'the Galactics' and it wasn't just a nickname. Playing for Real Madrid is the benchmark in football. When you do it well, the fans praise you. But the opposite is also true. I felt a lot of pressure. I played in the position of Fernando Redondo, who was a kind of god for the fans and that that summer he had left the club against his will. In my first few months they whistled at me with every ball I touched. It was difficult, ”he recalled. But it was quickly embraced by the public, its partners, and technical staff.

Del Bosque was key: “Honestly, I felt a lot of appreciation from my coach. A good coach sees exactly your value to the team. He knew my position and knew that I was a key element for the balance of the team. There have been stories about the salary differences between other players. and I, but I have never compared them. I never insisted on the negotiations. I focused on myself at that moment. “

Your salary: “After my third season, the management told me that they were delighted with my performance and promised a raise as a reward. I was happy with that. I was on the best team in the world, so why would I want to leave? Then they signed David Beckham, we did the preseason and they told me that the increase was no longer possible. “

Reason for not giving him what he asked for: “They told me that I should already consider myself happy to play for Real Madrid. I felt that I was done and that I wanted to leave. At first there were no offers, no club really thought that Real would let me go. But I started to push a bit, the true. I told the Real Madrid board that there were clubs interested, but they said no. They thought I was going to accept the situation. When they realized it was serious, it was too late. They made me an offer with the same salary than some of the stars of the team. But in my mind I had already decided. “

Divorce and march to Chelsea: “I went to Chelsea because they came first. After that, I was approached by other teams, like Manchester United and Inter, who had tried to sign me a year before I arrived in Madrid. I said to Chelsea: 'Yes, I'm going. “I gave them my word. They made a lot of efforts to recruit me, I was 30 years old, but they paid for a big transfer. After the lost Champions Final I wanted to go back to France, be close to my family. I had already been abroad for some time. For a long time. When the possibility of signing for PSG materialized, Abramovich helped me get off to a good start and released me while I still had a contract at Chelsea. “