Mehdi Benatia has criticised the growing influence of footballers, saying it is now easier for clubs to dismiss a manager than replace a large group of players.
The former Olympique de Marseille sporting director cited Xabi Alonso’s departure from Real Madrid last season, before the Spaniard took charge of Chelsea, as an example of what he regards as excessive player power.
Speaking to Canal+, Benatia, who played alongside Alonso at Bayern Munich, said: “Players have too much power now. It is easier to change a coach than to change 15 players.”
Benatia said he was particularly frustrated by the way Alonso was treated after his spell in charge of Bayer Leverkusen.
“When I see an institution as big as Real Madrid get rid of Xabi Alonso, I remember that I had the chance to play with him,” he said. “There are not many teams that crushed Bayern Munich in the way he did with Leverkusen.
“It is unbelievable. He was dismissed by Real Madrid in a very humiliating way, and nobody cared. He ended up at Chelsea.”
Benatia also claimed Alonso’s attempt to impose his standards was rejected by the dressing room after only three months.
“He tried to apply certain principles, saying: ‘I have won everything as a player, so this is what you have to do,’” said Benatia. “It lasted only three months. The dressing room turned against him and he found himself dismissed.”
Ronaldo’s demanding Juventus routine
Benatia also described the rigorous habits of his former Juventus team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo, who he said stood apart from other players of his generation because of his professionalism beyond normal training sessions.
“He was completely different from the other players in his age group, even after training had finished,” Benatia said.
“He would make us swim for 40 minutes and then spend 30 minutes in the ice bath, which was genuinely freezing.
“I would say to him: ‘How do you do that, man? Your bath is so cold. I only put my legs in it.’ Some players did not care that much about gym sessions, but as soon as Cristiano arrived, you would see everyone there.”
Benatia also recalled that Ronaldo was not initially comfortable with Juventus’ pre-match camps after joining the club in 2018. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner had not been used to staying at a team hotel the night before home matches.
“I was at Juventus in 2018 when Cristiano joined,” said Benatia. “He did not really like the pre-match camps because he was not used to them. Before every home game, we would go into camp the day before.”
Ronaldo then asked Benatia whether he could raise the issue with the Italian players and the manager.
“‘Bena, is there a way to speak to the Italians and the coach?’ he asked me,” Benatia said. “I told him: ‘Yes, of course, we will try, but this is part of the system here.’
“I then said to Giorgio Chiellini: ‘We have a team-mate, Cristiano, who does not really like the pre-match camps.’
“After that, we spoke to the manager and told him: ‘There are three or four players, most of them regular starters, who would prefer, if possible…’
“The manager replied: ‘Whoever wants to go into camp can go, and whoever wants to sleep at home can do so.’”
