Capello: ‘The new era belongs to Bellingham and Mbappe, not Haaland’

After 17 years of playing football and 19 years of being a coach, it seems that nothing surprises Fabio Capello anymore. But this veteran strategist is still surprised by the brilliance of Jude Bellingham, who he believes will create a new era with Kylian Mbappe, not Erling Haaland…

– Marca reporter: You have done many things and have a special connection with Real Madrid fans, even though you were only here for 2 seasons?

– Coach Fabio Capello: Yes, when I first came to Real Madrid in 1996, I signed a 3-year contract. But then Silvio Berlusconi (late president of AC Milan – Reporter) called, and I asked president Lorenzo Sanz for permission to let me leave. My career started with Berlusconi and when he needed me, I had to help. Because I owe him.

When I returned to the Bernabeu 10 years later, president Ramon Calderon was the one who decided we would part ways before La Liga ended. I remember that there were 9 or 10 rounds left in the season and Real Madrid was 9 points behind Barca, but in the end we still won the championship. Only thing is, he invited another coach and I returned to Italy.

– Can you tell us more about that comeback in La Liga?

– It was an amazing, almost unbelievable comeback. I told the players to treat each remaining match as a Champions League final. And they did it.

– Did you have to rebuild the team when you first came to Real Madrid in 1996?

– Sorry to interrupt, but I did it twice. After many years of nothing, I came to rebuild the team and restore Real Madrid’s winning spirit.

– Now it’s strange to say that Real Madrid doesn’t have a winning spirit. But it happened in your first season, the 1996/97 season, when the team didn’t even qualify for the European Cup?

– I also feel strange. But because I come from a team like AC Milan, where winning is normal, I realized that I had to restore that spirit. That’s something I’m still proud of, when I see the players feel proud when wearing the white shirt.

I revived Real Madrid twice, but the first time was the most important when the team forgot its winning spirit. Now if Real Madrid invites you, you know you’re about to lead the best team, with the best players.

Coach Fabio Capello is proud to have revived Real Madrid’s winning spirit.

– That’s why Real Madrid fans love Fabio Capello so much, even though he didn’t win the Champions League?

– Yes, even though the Champions League is the most important thing in Madrid, people still appreciate what I can do.

– A few weeks ago, Carlo Ancelotti was renewed and president Florentino Perez said that he is the ideal coach of Real Madrid. You know him well, he was your student at Milan, so how do you evaluate coach Ancelotti?

– He is number 1 in the world.

– Very clear, right?

– Of course. Carlo has won in all the places he has worked. He went to Germany and won, went to England and did the same thing. In Italy, it was not just a victory but a miracle.

– What is Ancelotti’s secret?

– That’s intelligence. He doesn’t have a set plan, but transforms based on the players he has. You can’t play with the same style forever, you have to put the players in the right place and create conditions for them to show 100% of their abilities.

– Does that sound easy?

– Many coaches still say: “We have to play this way.” But that’s not true. Let’s review the most recent El Clasico match in the Spanish Super Cup. Barca knows that Real Madrid has a quality squad and fast strikers, but still pulls the defense up to half the field. Seeing that, Carlo must have thought: “Oh, thank you.”

– Is that what Xavi keeps saying?

– There are coaches who always insist: “This is my system, this is my style.” But you have to research and prepare for each match, understand your opponents, their personalities, their strengths and weaknesses to come up with a suitable playing style.

– So what do you think when people say that Ancelotti is really only good at managing the dressing room?

– (Laughs loudly) Sorry, I can’t help but laugh. Whoever says that doesn’t understand anything about football. Because the most difficult thing is managing the dressing room. The more stars a team has, the more difficult it is to control. How many stars does Carlo have in his hand?