During an appearance on Canal+, Medhi Benatia spoke bluntly about the increasing power of players in modern football. The former Olympique Marseille sporting director cited Xabi Alonso as an example, stating that he was dismissed by Real Madrid last season and subsequently re-established himself at Chelsea. The Moroccan, who played alongside the Spanish coach at Bayern Munich, was clearly unhappy with the treatment of the former Bayer Leverkusen manager.
"Players now have too much power. It's easier to change a coach than 15 players. Whenever I see an institution like Real Madrid get rid of Xabi Alonso... I was lucky enough to play with him. There aren't many teams that can suppress Bayern Munich the way he did with Bayer Leverkusen, it's incredible!
He was kicked out by Real Madrid like trash. Don't worry, he later went to Chelsea. But he tried to establish some principles, telling everyone: 'I've won everything as a player, so this is how it should be done.' That only lasted three months, the dressing room started to turn the other way, and you get kicked out," Benatia said.