A former member of the midfield ranks at La Liga giants Real Madrid has today provided an insight into the emotional reaction of Carlo Ancelotti to his decision to move on.
The player in question? Casemiro.
Brazilian international Casemiro, of course, brought a close to the Real Madrid chapter of his career back in the summer of 2022.
In the face of a big-money offer from Premier League outfit Manchester United, the now-32-year-old and Los Blancos went their separate ways, bringing to an end a partnership spanning close to a decade.
Casemiro, for his part, proved one of the faces of Real’s all-conquering outfit of the 2010s, acting as a crucial cog in an iconic engine room trio also featuring the talents of Toni Kroos, and Luka Modrić.
In turn, it should perhaps not come as a great surprise to hear that, upon coming to the decision to seek out pastures new two summers ago, his head coach was left in an altogether emotional state.
Speaking in an interview with El Chiringuito TV late on Thursday, Casemiro opened up on the reaction of Carlo Ancelotti to news of his impending exit.
And, after discovering his usually steely manager in tears at his desk, the Brazilian admitted that he reconsidered his call to move on:
“When I was close to leaving, I entered Ancelotti’s office & he was crying. I asked him: ‘Why are you crying?’ He said: ‘Case, I don’t know, I just want you to know that I love you & don’t want you to leave’.
“That was when I doubted leaving.”
Conor Laird | GSFN
