Capello reigns in Spain
'He is a winner, and this is very important at this club after three years without a title'
Wednesday July 5, 2006
Fabio Capello has been confirmed as the new coach of Real Madrid and will be unveiled to the media tomorrow morning.
This will be Capello's second stint in charge of Real, having also coached at the Bernabéu for one season in 1996-97, when he led them to the league title. "Capello will ensure there is discipline, preparation and planning, something that this club has lacked in recent years," said new president Ramón Calderón.
According to Calderón, the move for Capello will be the first of many changes over the next few weeks at Madrid. During the election he also promised bring Chelsea winger Arjen Robben, Milan playmaker Kaka and Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fábregas to Madrid. Calderón is confident of honouring his pledges. "We are trying to bring the three of them, Predrag Mijatovic is in charge of it. He said everything will be OK, and we are getting in touch with the clubs. The three currently have contracts at their respective clubs, and we need to get in touch with them," he said.
However, one player likely to be unaffected by the new president's arrival is former England captain David Beckham, with Calderón determined to keep the 31-year-old. "He's very important for us," he added. "All the supporters here are very much with him and of course he's very important in the commercial area, I want to have him with us forever, at least the three years I think we have still with him."