What They're Saying: Ramon Calderon

• by Soccer America , Oct 29, 2018

"Unfortunately, it's another of the president's whims. If [Julen Lopetegui] was the right man in June, only four months ago, he cannot be unfit now. He signed him just two days before the World Cup started, so damaging our national team and now he's sacking him. So that's the problem, I think he [Lopetegui] is not the one to be blamed. That has been the main trouble, to transfer Cristiano [Ronaldo] in June has been a historic mistake and we are paying for that now."

-- Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon, blaming his successor, Florentino Perez, for the Spanish club's poor start to the 2018-19 La Liga season. Following the 5-1 loss to Barcelona that dropped Real Madrid to ninth place, Perez fired Lopetegui, hired away from the Spanish national team on the eve of the 2018 World Cup, and replaced him with former Real Madrid (and NCAA Division III) player Santiago Solari as interim coach. (Sky Sports)