Jesús Olmo stopped being the medical chief of Real Madrid in 2017. His figure was always surrounded by controversy. A person very close to Jerónimo Farré, Florentino Pérez's cardiologist and member of his Board, Olmo had been working externally with Madrid before he was included in the organization chart in 2013. His methods collided with part of the template. During the 2014-15 season, Florentino gave him full powers against the locker room opinion. In the middle of that campaign, Olmo decided to fire Pedro Chueca, a trusted physical therapist for many of the players on the squad, and several physical therapists who had been working at the club for more than ten years. This decision ignited the wick of some heavyweights in the dressing room, who came to meet with José Ángel Sánchez, general manager of the club, to discuss the issue. Olmo left the club in 2017 and was replaced by Niko Mihic. This Monday, he gave an interview in the Ideal from Granada in which he reviews his time at Real Madrid and talks about his relationship with several players … Below we reproduce an excerpt from it
It introduced changes in Madrid: “Real Madrid had a very traditionalist model and I made very profound and revolutionary changes. Drastic. They were carried out with great difficulty; Everyone knows that I was very controversial. The medical service had very limited powers; I arrived and saw a squad with an impressive technical-tactical quality, of the highest level, as it still has, but it seemed to me, however, that the players were far from their best performance. He was convinced that if we improved the physical and physiological performance of his players we would win again. I changed the locker room to put in a much bigger physiotherapy room, a new water and recovery area, and a biomechanical work clearing area and hired many more professionals, expanding my team to fourteen people with one physical therapist for every three players. I switched to nutritionists. “
Results: “In four seasons we won three Champions. 2017, when we could do the most because we worked the best, was the best year in the club's history. Not only because of the results, which were extraordinary, because the performance of the entire squad was fantastic, with team B from Lucas Vázquez, Marco Asensio, Álvaro Morata or James Rodríguez, who performed at the same level as the starters. The last three months have been tremendous. ”
Players who impressed him: “Perhaps the best athlete I saw is Gareth Bale. He is a natural athlete capable of being good at practically any sport. He has unusual genetics and athletic abilities, and I would say technical as well. It is the one that has most impressed me in all aspects, although then there is the performance that can be derived from different circumstances. ”
Bale's problem: “I cannot count intimacies, nor do I want to, but all athletes have their handicaps. People only see that the athlete is injured, but there are soccer players who when they are playing have problems. A good medical service ensures that you have the minimum possible chronic physical problems and the only way to overcome them is by working hard and very well, in a targeted way. That requires effort and work that depends a lot on the athlete. Nothing detracts from a high-level athlete more performance than chronic pain; Solving a small tendon problem is the best thing you can do for a footballer. “
He was with Ancelotti, Benítez and Zidane: “They were good experiences, although it is true that my team was acquiring a much bigger role than the common, spending much more time with the players, and that can generate mistrust. Coaches often prefer a traditional model in which they control everything. In my model, I was at the same level as the coach and directed my area. I defended that model, I created it, and when it stopped I left. I respect him because I know that I got very involved in the physical aspect of the players. Everything that is criticized is true, but it is that we won three Champions.
They nicknamed him the ‘doctor stretching’: “Yes, but that did not come from the staff but from the people that I did without. Although yes, it is true that I got into what the players had to stretch, but also what they had to strengthen and train. I was criticized for having a doctor influence so much on the daily work of the players, but my specialty is high sports performance ”.
His departure from Madrid: “I don't hold a grudge against anyone, really. I understand these things, we speak at a high level and there are brutal socioeconomic interests. When they told me that I couldn't continue working as I was doing, I left. And delighted. I am not so important as to believe that Real Madrid should spend five minutes thinking about me. The club is much bigger. “
Her relationship with Ramos: “With Sergio it is special because we had a very big match. He is a person who, like me, says things to his face. I did things that he did not consider appropriate, although I explained them, and each defended his position with the utmost respect. Even so, I do not place myself at your command; my criteria must be mine. We had differences, but from there our professional relationship was very good. We respect each other a lot and he always trusted my criteria with his injuries and did what I told him. I still have a very good relationship with him and he works with professionals very close to me. When I have to give him a hand, I'll give it to him. ”