Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon has refused to blame Julen Lopetegui for the Spanish giants' current plight despite his sacking as manager on Monday evening.
Lopetegui was shown the door after winning just one of his last seven games and losing 5-1 to bitter rivals Barcelona - a result that left Real Madrid in ninth place in La Liga, seven points off the top.
But Calderon insists current president Florentino Perez must shoulder the responsibility, having only given Loeptegui the job in the summer and sanctioned the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus.
'Unfortunately it's another one of the president's whims,' Calderon said in FourFourTwo. 'If he 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 to be blamed.'
Lopetegui's appointment was announced while he was in Russia about to kick-off Spain's campaign. He was sacked by the 2010 world champions just two days before they faced Portugal in Sochi in their tournament opener.
Calderon, who replaced Perez and served at the Bernabeu between 2006 and 2009 until Perez reclaimed the role, also slammed the decision to sell Ronaldo for £100million.
'That has been the main problem, to transfer Cristiano in June has been a historic mistake and we are paying for that now,' he added.
Antonio Conte was an early front-runner to take the reins but B-team coach Santiago Solari has been placed in temporary charge.
Perez wants Conte but players, led by captain Sergio Ramos, are not so keen.
Ramos said 'respect needs to be earned not imposed' when he was asked about the appointment of a disciplinarian manager.
huseilpry
264
Calderon has said it rightly! Florentino Perez feels that he is untouchable at Real Madrid. Selling Ronaldo was a regrettable mistake that Perez will never overcome in his entire Presidency. Every team needs the best player on their respective teams but has for Perez it was the opposite. Coach Julen Lopetegui is just a victim of Perez unthinkable action. Perez needs to be removed as President in order save Real Madrid from total embarrassment. Perez should have taken the blame for Madrid humiliation at the hands of Barcelona.
ship50
226
Strange how a club of Real's stature is running on the whims of one man. He, and a majority of their fans should understand and accept that every bad run is not manager's fault and that the club is not entitled to win every thing every season. You have just gone through a major change ( selling of Rinaldo). I'm not getting into the right or wrong of it but give the guy in the dugout some time and support ( buy one decent replacement at least) before calling for his head. I just hope that the next manager to come in insists for a long term contract with a massive payout in case this president gets bored again and decides to buy a new toy. But Real Madrid will bounce back.
lucifer c7
210
even he understood the importance of the irreplaceable...but perz didn't..i just started hating him... like it or not both messi and RONALDO are real goats they are irreplaceable...
vakkrsu
206
Selling Cristiano Ronaldo, is a mistake that will never be forgotten. He was the man that make the difference no matter how hard the situation is, whether we like it or not he will always be he. Even what shocked me was that Real Madrid fans were mocking him for the fact that he is old and so what, if he is and can still score for you, win matches for you and even cups. What more could one want from a fellow human being like him? Now Real Madrid fans and owners will have no option than to be continue paying for their mistake until they fine a proper n concrete replacement for him, which I think would not be possible for these season. You will never know what you have until u loose it.
B-bek CR
161
This man is true Firstly irresponsible for Zidane Then Sold Ronaldo and announced that "It was Ronaldo desire" Now sack race organiser He is so much inarogant that he even think he was right.
Wipimnotu
137
Lopetegui's is also partially to blame for this. Other clubs have done well with what players they have and Lopetegui failed to make use of what he had. He didn't have Ronaldo under his management prior so this shouldn't have had any impact to his strategy. I agree Perez is also responsible for this mess. He failed to uphold his promise to increase Ronaldo's salary and sold the Portuguese superstar over his fantasy objective to secure Neymar. Overall Real Madrid's poor form rests with the players. Real Madrid I believe has reached the end of an era with this current squad and it is time they moved forward with fresh new players. The average age of their key star players they want to rely on are already in their 30s. Remember these men are not like Ronaldo or Messi! Ronaldo and Messi improve with their age and are unique players that we will perhaps never ever see again. Ordinarily, at the age of 30, these players should have been sold already. I say keep only a few of these veterans for experience and motivation and sell the rest!