It's not an exaggeration to say that Real Madrid's decision this summer as to who they bring in as their next long-term manager is one of the biggest decisions in the recent history of the club. The club has been linked with some of the biggest managers in the world and they have to make sure they bring in the right one or risk setting the club back even further. Everyone has their own opinion on who the club should bring in and one club legend is making his opinion known and it should be one that is heard.
While speaking with AS, Real Madrid legend Iker Casillas was asked about all the drama surrounding Real Madrid's managerial situation and when he was asked who he would sign, he went on to back his former teammate, an answer that may surprise some. Casillas went on to say:
"I would sign Xabi Alonso again. For me, he was the perfect coach."Iker Casillas
Xabi Alonso's former teammate backs the manager for a return that will never happen
Iker Casillas went on to address a number of major talking points surrounding Real Madrid at the moment but most were about the managerial issues going on at the Bernabeu and he's a player who would know about managers at Real Madrid. The Spaniard played for 15 different managers during his time at Los Blancos, so if any former player is brought in for consulting Casillas should be one the club listens to.
The goalkeeper acknowledged that sometimes managerial decisions don't always produced immediate success, pointing to when the club decided to sack Rafa Benitez in 2016 and bring in Zinedine Zidane, leading to a three year dominance period by Los Blancos in Europe.
"When decisions are made, they do not always work out perfectly at first. You have to analyze everything in context. The example with Rafa BenÃtez shows how quickly football can change afterward. In the end, results day by day are what determine everything."Iker Casillas
The difference here however is that Xabi Alonso was producing results. He won 14 of his first 15 matches in charge, had Real seven points clear at the top of the table and second in the Champions League table before the wheels started to fall off, not due to the manager but due to the players. Alonso was brought in to lead a project and giving him just eight months wasn't nearly enough time, something Casillas believes to be true as well.
All signs are pointing to Jose Mourinho being Real Madrid's next manager, a decision that the legend doesn't seem to be too big a fan of.
"You ask me about him and I don’t care. I had a difficult stage with him, but that’s it"Iker Casillas
This is no doubt one of the biggest summers in the recent history of Real Madrid. The team is in need of a major overhaul if they hope to bounce back from disasterous back-to-back trophyless seasons. While Iker Casillas is a legend and should have his opinion heard by the club, in the end that won't be the case, and the Xabi Alonso return won't be happening any time soon, if at all.
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