Nagelsmann: ‘Real Madrid offer came too soon for me’


Nagelsmann: ‘Real Madrid offer came too soon for me’

julian nagelsma scaled

RB Leipzig’s manager Julian Nagelsmann revealed why he rejected Madrid’s job offer as a head coach. The German coach believed that it was too early to join such a big club. Nagelsmann became youngest top-flight coach in Bundesliga ,when he took charge of Hoffenheim at the age of 28 in 2016.

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In 2019 RB Leipzig appointed Nagelsmann as the head coach at the Red Bull Arena. Under his guidance Leipzig has reached their first quarterfinal in the UEFA Champions League.

Nagelsmann on Real Madrid’s offer

Real Madrid came looking for Nagelsmann’s signature in 2018. However the German refused to sign for the Los Blancos.

In an interview with Marca Nagelsmann said, “We had phone calls, but in the end the one who decided was me. I believed it was not the right step to go to Real Madrid. I was one of the candidates and the list was not very long. For me, that was important. I had a good chat with Jose Angel Sanchez and we decided that it was not the right step at that time. We agreed that we could talk again in the future if Real Madrid needed a coach – and I was available.”

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Nagelsmann on Atletico Madrid

At the moment Nagelsmann targets European glory with Leipzig. The German side will face Atletico Madrid in single tie UEFA Champions league encounter. The UEFA Champions League Quarterfinal will be played in a behind close door format in Lisbon, Portugal.

In an Interview Nagelsmann said, “ My first thought was: ‘Oh, they’re a strong team defensively,’” he admitted after seeing the draw. “We will have to have a very solid block and be efficient in the final third to create danger. We’ll need to be creative and have control. Atletico are a heavyweight of European football, especially in recent years. Diego Simeone has done a great job with a lot of victories. I would like the normal format because we all miss the fans, that’s obvious,” he said. “But I think it’s a bit easier for us to play in a single game than in a round trip because they have more experience when it comes to managing the second leg.”

Leipzig will face either PSG or Atalanta, if they manage to get through the last eight stage of the UEFA Champions League.

Also Read: ‘We have to think like the best in the world, to be the best club in the world’ – Ronaldo after Juventus early exit from Champions League

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