Fabio Capello steered Real Madrid through two different spells as coach. The second run stretched over the 2006-2007 season, and the Italian still carries difficult memories from that dressing room. Even years later he describes it as unprofessional. He spoke about his experiences with Ronaldo, Cassano, Roberto Carlos, Guti, Beckham, Raúl and the rest of the squad during the opening of the academic year at the University Institute of Linguistic Mediators Limec in Milan.
“One day Van Nistelrooy came to me and said the dressing room smelled of alcohol. It was true”, Capello recalled. He suggested that one of the people responsible was Ronaldo Nazario, and he said he decided to let him go because the Brazilian player enjoyed partying and tended to influence the group toward dating. Capello noted that during that period he weighed 94 kilos. He later contrasted this with his own weight four years earlier, when at the 2002 World Cup in Korea he weighed 82 kilos and told Ronaldo to shed weight before the Milan move, which eventually happened as Ronaldo rose to 92.5 kilos to maintain performance levels.
Capello also claimed he had advised Milan against pursuing Ronaldo. Berlusconi asked for his judgment, and Capello admitted he warned him about Ronaldo being a party animal and preferring a lifestyle centered on socializing. The reply he received was simple: the deal moved forward and Ronaldo joined Milan soon after.
But Ronaldo was not the only player Capello faced in that era. Cassano, according to the Italian, showed unprofessional behavior at times. He allegedly would request fries before every game, a practice Capello found unacceptable and said he blamed more on the kitchen staff than on Cassano himself. The coach also reflected on how public perception shaped the Real Madrid narrative abroad, noting that understanding the work environment is crucial because media and radio in Spain influenced public opinion far more than in many other countries.
These recollections reveal tensions within a high profile team and offer a candid look at the challenges coaches face when managing star players who carry significant public interest and media scrutiny. The discussions highlight how weight, discipline, and off-field behavior can impact locker room dynamics and team performance, as observed by Capello during his Real Madrid tenure and echoed in subsequent conversations about leadership in elite football. This account of the period remains a talking point for fans and analysts who study the interplay between management, player personalities, and the relentless media environment surrounding the club during that era. The reflections presented here are attributed to Capello and contemporaries who were part of the Madrid scene at the time, as discussed in public appearances and interviews that revisit those seasons.