Ancelotti: "We will give our all to win the three remaining matches"
"We're eager to finish a difficult season on a high note," said the coach before the match against Mallorca.
Carlo Ancelotti spoke to the media in the press room at Real Madrid City after training ahead of the match against Mallorca. The coach said: "I expect a competitive match, like the last few. We want to field a competitive team to give our all and to win the three remaining matches. LaLiga isn't over, and we don't want to hand it to the opposition. We want to do well in these three games and finish a difficult season on a high."
"From the 26th, I will be the Brazil coach, and it's an important challenge, but right now I'm the Real Madrid coach, and I want to finish this final stretch and this fantastic adventure here well. The time I have left here is the time I have left here, and because of the great respect I have for this club, these fans, and these players, I'm focused on the final stretch of this spectacular adventure."
His departure
"As of the 26th, I'll be coaching Brazil. It's official. Brazil released a statement yesterday. Real Madrid will release a statement when they want to. There are no problems whatsoever. They'll do it at the right time for Real Madrid, and there's nothing more to add, just like the CBF released a statement yesterday. What I discuss with the club is strictly personal. You have to look at the facts. I'm the Real Madrid coach until the 25th, and yesterday I realised that I would no longer be the coach of this team."
"Football, like life, is an adventure that begins and ends. When I arrived, I always knew that one day it would end. That day will be the 25th. It's been a wonderful period in which we've all had a great time, but everything in life comes to an end. Life ends, as does a period at a football club. I've enjoyed myself, and my seriousness and professionalism demand that I finish well. It's been an important period. I've never had a problem with the club, and I never will. It's a club that will always be in my heart. This adventure had to end someday. We've had a great time and won many titles. Fantastic memories that will last a lifetime."
The announcement in Brazil
"Everyone acts as they see fit. I know what these two weeks will be like, preparing for tomorrow's game, Sunday's game, and the game against Real Sociedad. From the 26th onwards, I'll have something else to do, and I'll think about that. I understand everything, I respect everyone's opinions, and that's it. These things happen in football, like the press conferences you have to endure, but I'm not sad."
How does it feel that your honeymoon with Real Madrid is ending?
"I'm not leaving frustrated because if they had told me on the day I arrived that I was going to win 11 titles in four years, I would have signed it in blood. The overall assessment of this period is unforgettable, despite the last year. I'm very happy, although today would be a fantastic day if there wasn't a press conference and I didn't have to explain things I don't want to. I wear the Real Madrid shirt, I respect it a lot, and I want to respect it until the last day, so I don't want to be asked about anything else. I wanted to win LaLiga and the Champions League, but I'm happy with what's happening around me."
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"I haven't been rude to the players, and I don't regret anything. I've had a fantastic time here and I want to enjoy the days I have left. I've given it my all, and the titles speak for themselves. I've never felt that Madrid didn't love me. Madrid will always love me and always show me affection. That's life. I couldn't be the Madrid coach forever."
Acknowledgements
"Things come to an end because the club may need a new impetus, and there's no need to make a drama out of it. I want to thank this club a thousand times over. We'll all go our separate ways, and I'll always be a Madrid fan with all the love in the world. A spectacular period has come to an end, and I never thought I'd be able to coach Real Madrid for six seasons. It's over now, and I have to thank the club for that."
Is your time at Real Madrid over?
"Maybe it was time for a change, nothing more. I'm taking it all in my stride. It was a mutual decision to end things here."
The Bernabéu
"We've had a great time and not everything has gone perfectly, but there have been some wonderful nights with unforgettable comebacks. I won't forget that, and I imagine the fans won't either."
Rodrygo
"He had a fever last week that prevented him from returning to his best level. Today he had trouble with his thigh, I don't know which leg, and we have to assess it. He's not at his best, and there's been a lot of speculation. Everyone has a special place in their hearts for Rodrygo, especially me. When a player isn't fit, he isn't in a good place mentally. He wants to help the team with his quality, and he's disappointed about that. Injured players can't help the team."
Xabi Alonso
"I'm very fond of him, and I don't have any advice to give him because he has all the characteristics to be a great coach in the future."