should not forget what the duo have given the club
as summer transfers draw closer
EXCLUSIVE By Alberto Pinero
Former Real Madrid defender David Mateos feels
Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos have both been
treated unfairly amid speculation over their futures.
Casillas has agreed a deal in principle to join Porto
from his boyhood club, although the move has hit
a stumbling block after he failed to negotiate a
financial compensation package with the Santiago
Bernabeu side .
Meanwhile, Madrid have stayed silent on rumours
surrounding the future of Ramos, with Manchester
United keen on bringing the Spain centre-back to
Old Trafford should his relationship with the club
become untenable.
While Mateos is not surprised to see Casillas
considering a departure - given the plummet in his
standing among Madridistas following his falling-
out with Jose Mourinho and poor form - he
believes fans should remember what both players
have given to the club during their careers.
"Well, not surprised, really! It's been talked about
for two years, since Mourinho left the club," he
told Goal of Casillas' potential move.
"The Casillas situation surely has not been what he
wanted - it's the same for the club. It was
expected this year could be his last. I don't know
how the atmosphere is inside the club, or with the
president, but from the outside it's being perceived
that it is still quite unfair to Casillas, because they
are forgetting everything he gave them.
"It's an unfair treatment. He gave everything for
Real Madrid and Spain. I do not think he is going
to leave the club badly, but as a player of his
standing should do.
"From my point of view, they should be treated
better. Ramos is the focus of all the news right
now, as is Casillas. For me, as a Real Madrid fan,
the Ramos exit means a lot. One of the things I
like about Real Madrid was Sergio Ramos, because
I admire him, both when I was training close to
him and now from outside. As a Madrid fan, if I
don't see a Real Madrid with Ramos, I'll miss
something. In the football world people forget
everything very quickly.
"Porto are a big club in Europe. Maybe the league
is lower than the Spanish, English or German ones,
where Casillas also could have gone. There's a
Spanish coach and players, the city is close to
Madrid, but it's hard to know what he thinks... It is
a great club, though.
"Alberto Bueno has gone there this year and says
it's amazing, it's like the Real Madrid of Portugal. I
don't know if Casillas' decision is good or bad, but
if he takes that decision, he'll have his reasons.
"He could also play in bigger places: Paris,
Manchester, London, Munich... but be careful with
Porto, they reached the quarter-finals of the
Champions League. I understand that money is not
the most important aspect for him now, and he's
prioritising being close to Spain, playing regularly
and having a coach who supports him."
Mateos, now at Ferencvaros in Hungary, says
Madrid as a club have always looked after its star
players, but concedes that supporters have the
right to be critical.
"The players cannot have any complaints of the
club treatment. World-class players come to
Madrid and are given what they want.
"I was speaking of external criticism from the
public. They may be right or not, and have their
rights as they pay, but as a player, it's strange to
hear whistles against Casillas. That treatment from
the people is unfair, I think.
"People forget very quickly what Casillas has
given, and what he may still give for some years,
with the Spanish national team, for instance."
Mateos also denied suggestions that Casillas' rift
with Mourinho emerged from a deep-rooted
antipathy between the pair and even suggested that
Porto head coach Julen Lopetegui treats his
players in a similar way.
"That first year, I was in the squad, and I did not
perceive what would happen later," said the 28-
year-old of Mourinho's spell in charge.
"When I was there, the relationship was normal.
It
was very good, actually. Like any player with his
coach, with mutual respect and little else. And
when I returned to the club, I didn't perceive any
problem.
"Knowing how Lopetegui is, he'll demand of Iker
the same as if he were coming from the youth
teams. There will be no preferential treatment,
neither will he be treated as a God, but as anyone
else, he'll demand the same as he does from the
rest. Lopetegui is like that. He demands the
maximum of players in every training session, and
does not allow anyone to relax."
Should the current club captains ultimately leave,
Mateos has backed Marcelo as the right man to
take on the responsibility going forward.
"They always help if it's in their hands. If they
have to step up for the team, they will do it. They
fight for the good of Real Madrid, for the team and
for themselves," he added of Ramos and Casillas.
"If finally Casillas and Ramos leave the club - but I
hope Ramos stays - I think Marcelo is the oldest
person on the team, and can instil in new people
what Real Madrid is. He came from another team,
but he has been at Real Madrid for a long time. He
may be a good captain. Maybe not like Casillas
and Ramos, because of what they transmit and
what they are and have given to the club. But
Marcelo is playing and can take that armband."
Finally, Mateos - who moved to Hungary in 2013
after failing to break into the Madrid first team -
admits he is happy to be reminded of his
Bernabeu days when people ask him for the inside
track on Cristiano Ronaldo.
"People in Budapest ask about everyone, but
especially about Cristiano Ronaldo," he said. "What
he's like, if he goes to the gym too much... the
typical questions people ask you in Spain, as well:
'Damn! Cristiano is so strong, how does he do it?'
"Like it or not, those questions flatter you because
they remember you shared a dressing room with
the world's best players. Now I see players and
friends who return to Real Madrid, some who are
still there, and for me it's a joy. I want them to
take advantage of that opportunity and maybe have
even more minutes than I did there."
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