Former Real Madrid boss Fabio Capello, who managed the club on two separate occassions (1996 – 1997; 2006 – 2007), has spoken about his time at the club and some of the players he managed.

“The Bernabéu is a sanctuary, the responsibilities were enormous,” Capello said of his first season at the club in an interview with Festival dello Sport in Trento.

“Real Madrid is the team that has stayed in my heart the most because I had to build it by bringing in players who I thought could make a difference. I had four 20-year-olds in the first team. I brought Seedorf from Sampdoria and Roberto Carlos for the defense.”

Speaking about his second spell as Real Madrid boss, Capello added: “The decision to sell Ronaldo (in January) and sign Cassano helped create a winning spirit in the team.

“We won nine points back from Barcelona in the final stretch of ten games and I’m still proud of that today.

“I remember Silvio Berlusconi calling me to ask me, how was Ronaldo? I told him that he didn’t even train and that he really liked parties and women, so hiring him for Milan would be a mistake. The next day I saw the newspaper headlines: ‘Ronaldo in Milan’. It was a lot of fun,”

Despite winning the league in both spells as Real Madrid boss, Capello was sacked both times for his brand of football.

“What is beauty in football for me? Scoring after three passes, for example,” Capello explained.

“Beauty is also getting the result based on the players you have at your disposal. Beauty is also the sudden genius of footballers like Messi, for example.

“Two players who embody beauty: Paolo Maldini and Franco Baresi, because they transformed difficulties into easy things. They had personality and they transmitted it to the public, they managed to make an impact.”