Former player Iván Helguera, a European champion with Real Madrid and a key figure during the "Galácticos" era, opened up in an interview for the podcast Offsiders about how his last years at the club were marked by mistreatment and coldness from the management.

A tough, no-holds-barred testimony

The Cantabrian confessed: “They were really harsh. The board, especially the president, and an ex-player I didn’t expect it from—Mijatovic, who was the sporting director—took my number away and told me I wasn’t going to play again. They made my life really difficult. I don’t really know why.”

Even though he was an undisputed starter for years and won important titles, Helguera says he was sidelined without explanation. “I had three years left on my contract, I’d just won the league and had been playing. Then Capello comes in and tells me I’m not playing, and when I was supposed to play a little match, they put me with the reserves.”

His situation only improved when Capello himself, at odds with the board, gave him more playing time. “I ended up being the sixth most used player that year and we won the league. I did it more out of anger and desire than skill.” The internal tension was so intense that they even tried to push him out during training.
“Capello told me, ‘They’re telling me not to even put you in training.’ And the next year, Mijatovic warned me they’d take my number again and make my life impossible.”

A tough ending and a new start

At that point, Helguera decided to accept an offer from Valencia, closing a chapter that, as he admitted, left him “emotionally destroyed.” During the interview, he also criticized the culture inside the Madrid locker room, pointing out that only the strongest survive. “In Madrid’s dressing room, if you’re too shy or a nice guy, they eat you alive.”

Although he fondly remembered teammates and coaches like Vicente del Bosque, he didn’t hide his disappointment with those he holds responsible for his bitter farewell.