RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann has explained that he rejected the opportunity to go to Real Madrid in 2018, believing it was not the correct step in his career at that time.
Nagelsmann made history in 2016 when he took charge of Hoffenheim at the age of 28, becoming the youngest top-flight coach in Bundesliga history in the process.
In 2019, he moved to the East German side and has proven successful, with Leipzig spending much of the season challenging Bayern Munich for the title and progressing to the latter stages of the Champions League.
His successes caught the eye of Real Madrid two years ago but nothing materialised.
“We had phone calls, but in the end the one who decided was me,” he told Marca. “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.”
Meanwhile, Nagelsmann’s target is leading Leipzig to European glory, with Atletico Madrid standing in their way as the Champions League reaches its quarter-final phase in Lisbon, where the remainder of the games will be played due to the coronavirus crisis. Continue reading