"I don't know Xabi personally, but he strikes me as a great professional. As a player, he was a legend, and as Leverkusen's manager, he achieved something historic in my view. Bringing him in was the right call; sacking him was a mistake. Still, you can't implement a project in three months," said Riquelme.
The club's turbulent management under Perez denied the former Leverkusen coach the time he needed, leaving a visible mark on the environment. "I think Madrid's fans are disappointed by the manner, the timing and, above all, the fact that he wasn't given the power to lead his team," said Riquelme.
He also labelled the subsequent internal solution involving Álvaro Arbeloa as short-sighted. When asked whether Arbeloa's appointment had been an experiment, the presidential candidate replied, "Probably. Perhaps he wasn't the right man for the job at that moment." In this critical phase, Real need managers "who set standards and are respected".