Former Real Madrid hero Ivan Helguera has lifted the lid on the alleged mistreatment he faced before leaving the club.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
Helguera reveals bitter fallout with MadridEx-Spain international admits emotional toll was severeClaims he was stripped of his shirt numberFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Los Blancoslegend Helguera has launched a scathing attack on his former club, revealing on the podcast that he was mistreated and emotionally broken during his final years at the Santiago Bernabeu. Despite winning two Champions League titles and helping the team to a league win, Helguera claims the board and sporting director Predrag Mijatovic "made his life miserable."
AdvertisementAFPWHAT IVAN HELGUERA SAID
On the podcast, Helguera recalls the shocking betrayal by Real Madrid's hierarchy despite being a title-winning regular: "The board, the president especially, and a former player who I didn't expect from him, who was the sporting director, Mijatovic, took away my number and told me I wouldn't play again. They made my life miserable. I don't really know why. They told me I wasn't going to play and that they wanted to sell me. They told me I wasn't going to play and that they wanted to sell me. I had a three-year contract, I didn't understand because I had just won the league and had played."
The emotional toll peaked as former Spanish international felt isolated and disrespected by the club’s leadership: "Emotionally, I was screwed. My head told me they were screwing me and screwing my life up. The president didn't even greet me and I was playing."
Despite coach Fabio Capello’s support, the former defender was frozen out, and forced toward a Valencia exit: "These guys tell me not to even play you in training.' The following year, Mijatovic told me they were taking my number away and were going to make my life miserable again. And then Valencia arrived. In fact, I didn't even go to the meetings because there could be so much tension."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
The defender and defensive midfielder spent eight years at Madrid and won three La Liga titles and a UEFA Super Cup alongside two European crowns in 2000 and 2002. After leaving to join Valencia, he won the Copa del Rey in 2008.
AFPWHAT NEXT FOR REAL MADRID?
Madrid are expected to undergo tactical changes under new head coach Xabi Alonso, likely moving away from the system he used at Bayer Leverkusen. The Spanish giants are aiming to compete for the Club World Cup this summer, with their campaign kicking off against Al-Hilal on June 18.