The wife of a former Real Madrid player shared her thoughts in the newspaper L’Équipe.
“Real Madrid is a club with a unique aura and atmosphere that not everyone can easily adapt to. Unfortunately, there are many examples of players who haven’t been able to acclimatize well and don’t have fond memories of their time at Real Madrid. Danilo is the latest to have confessed to this.
“During my first season at Real, I suffered from depression. I was lost, I felt useless, I couldn’t pass the ball more than 5 meters on the field, it was like I couldn’t move… My passion for football disappeared,” he explained in The Players’ Tribune. He didn’t last more than two seasons in the Spanish capital.
“Fortunately, the experience has been much better for many other players, not just for those who settle in the team and become club legends. For instance, the Real Madrid spell was a blessing for Alphonse Areola, according to confessions from his wife, Marrion, in L’Équipe.
“In the 2019-20 season, the French goalkeeper joined the ‘white house’ on loan as part of Keylor Navas’ departure to Paris Saint-Germain. Marrion Areola recounts the behind-the-scenes of this transfer that ‘saved’ her husband.
“‘The truth is, there are so many things people don’t know about my husband… I have a very tough memory, and it’s when Alphonse signed for Real Madrid. He was really happy, but the way it all happened was difficult. I remember we were having dinner with friends and Alphonse got a call. It was Raiola, his agent at the time, and he told him: ‘You’re going to Real Madrid,’ she recounted.
“‘PSG had just bought Keylor Navas, and the transfer window was closing in 48 hours. We didn’t have time to look for another club. For a month and a half, Alphonse felt PSG was looking for another goalkeeper. That’s why he went to see Leonardo and Tuchel to ask if they were counting on him for the next season. ‘Yes, no worries,’ they replied. And innocently, Alphonse believed them,” continued the wife of the former Madrid player.
“According to Marrion, this experience left a mark on her husband. ‘He never talked about it; I think he’s still a bit hurt today. PSG’s executives let him know they would look for another goalkeeper if he didn’t go to Real Madrid. We spent a sleepless night weighing the pros and cons. But who would say no to Madrid? In the morning, he got a call from Zidane, and his face lit up. Madrid saved him because he was really in a bad place,’ she concluded.
“Wearing the Real Madrid colors, Alphonse Areola played 9 games and won a trophy: La Liga.”
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