The Real Madrid legend and the head coach of the first-team basketball squad, both world champions, shared their experiences with the students at Escuela Universitaria Real Madrid Universidad Europea.
Toni Kroos and Sergio Scariolo were the main speakers on the third day of the ‘White Week’ event organised by the Real Madrid European University School, which took place in the auditorium at Real Madrid City and was moderated by Emilio Butragueño, the club’s Director of Institutional Relations. The Real Madrid legend, who won 23 trophies in 10 years at the club, including five Champions League titles, and was a World Cup winner with Germany, said: “I retired because I never wanted to reach the point where I didn’t feel so good and started having physical problems. The feel for the ball never leaves me; I still have it.”
“I always knew I wanted to leave in the way I deserve, in the way the club deserves, and in the way I want the fans to remember me, because I think the final image is very important. I’m very happy with this decision; it’s been exactly as I always wanted. I couldn’t have planned to win the Champions League because I’d decided to leave beforehand. In the end, everything turned out so well, with the Champions League and La Liga – it couldn’t have been better.”
Views on Real Madrid
“After all this time here, I can say that it’s a very down-to-earth club, with a real family atmosphere at its core. And that always starts at the top. The way Florentino Pérez welcomed me from day one, the way he’s always spoken to me… But not just to me – whenever he visits the dressing room. It’s something you can see from the outside too. He conveys a sense of humanity, and that’s something I’ve always valued greatly about this club. I’ve been in many different dressing rooms here; many players have left and others have arrived, but this hasn’t changed. I’ve felt very comfortable within this club, very supported in difficult times, because we’ve been through them too. And that’s also what’s made it special. That’s why this finale is so important too, because we wanted to say goodbye at the very top.”
The success of Real Madrid’s three consecutive Champions League titles
“We were a team, not just 20 mates. There were plenty of top players, but we understood that, once the referee blew the whistle, we all wanted the same thing. We all wanted to win, and that was the key. We were also very good; if you’re a poor team, you don’t win the Champions League.”
The high standards at Real Madrid
“I was hungry right until the end. What’s more, when you won the Champions League, the next day the president would tell you to go for the next one. You can enjoy it for a few hours until the next day, when you hear the president say: ‘Very good, and see you here again next year, in the same place and with the same trophy.’ This might sound silly, but it doesn’t let you relax. At this club, you’ve got it in your head: ‘Champions League, Champions League, Champions League.’
Magical nights at the Bernabéu
“This isn’t possible in many stadiums. It generates a force that gives strength to the team and takes it away from the opposition. There have been comebacks against teams you think are very solid and good. The Bernabéu has helped us a lot there. What makes the Bernabéu special is that it only takes a moment to change the game. The opposition think we don’t want to play. The team has grown a lot because they know how to play to this, and there have been big opponents who weren’t capable of stringing three passes together.”
The recent tie against Manchester City
“The team has managed to raise its game, adapting to the opposition and the importance of the match. They’ve played two very good games. At home, number 8 was also a huge help – I really like him. Now it’s the Germans’ turn.”
Scariolo: “Real Madrid’s structure is, by far, one of the best in the world”
The Real Madrid basketball coach, a La Liga winner with our team, world champion and four-time European champion with Spain, opened the press conference by speaking about his return to the Real Madrid dugout: “There was something a bit special, a bond with the president that had lasted for many, many years, an emotional one, above all. On a professional level, I wanted to test myself again on a day-to-day basis with a demanding club that has high aspirations. I liked the idea of stepping out of my comfort zone.”
Competing with such a demanding schedule
“We’re in the middle of a run of five games in nine days, just to give you an idea. You need a club with a structure that works, like Real Madrid’s, which is by far one of the best in the world.”
“Over the years, you have to learn to develop organisational skills. Almost anything is possible with organisation and discipline, and my experience in the NBA has been very useful in that regard. The idea is to make the team work without overloading them, but through training.”
The importance of the coaching staff’s role
“Being at this club means you can rely on qualified professionals, and you haven’t chosen most of them yourself. Last summer saw a profound change in the structure of the department in many ways. There have been a great many changes and, like all changes, it takes time to come to terms with them and bring all the talent together.”
His experience in the NBA
“We have to learn from the NBA, and the NBA has to learn from Europe. I’ve learnt a great many things, and if I had to pick one, it would be how to manage a team during a season with so many games and such intensity. That balance between training the players without overloading them. Trying to find a way for the team to develop without increasing the risk of injury that the competition itself presents.”
Other contributions
The third day of White Week also featured Héctor Argüelles, the NBA’s Director of Business Operations for Europe and the Middle East, who spoke about ‘The NBA in Europe’; and Víctor Alfaro, Managing Director of Podoactiva and podiatrist for Real Madrid’s First Team, whose presentation was entitled ‘It all starts with a step’.