Mehdi Benatia criticises players’ power and reveals Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus routines

Mehdi Benatia has criticised the growing influence of footballers, using Xabi Alonso’s dismissal by Real Madrid last season as an example of how clubs can find it easier to replace a manager than change a squad.

The former sporting director of Olympique de Marseille, who previously played alongside Alonso at Bayern Munich, said he was disappointed by the treatment of the former Bayer Leverkusen manager during an appearance on Canal+.

“Players have too much power now. It is easier to change a coach than to change 15 players,” Benatia said, according to Foot Mercato.

“When I see an institution as big as Real Madrid getting rid of Xabi Alonso, I remember that I had the chance to play with him. There are not many teams that overwhelmed Bayern Munich in the way he did with Leverkusen.

“It is unbelievable. He was dismissed by Real Madrid in a very humiliating way, and nobody cared. He ended up at Chelsea.”

Benatia also suggested Alonso’s attempt to impose his authority in the dressing room had contributed to his departure.

“Xabi tried to implement certain principles, saying: ‘I won everything as a player, so this is what you have to do.’ It lasted only three months before the dressing room turned against him, and he was sacked,” he said.

The Morocco international also discussed his former Juventus team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo and described the Portugal forward’s commitment to his physical preparation as exceptional.

“He was completely different from the other players in his age group, even after training had finished,” Benatia said.

“He would make us swim for 40 minutes and then spend 30 minutes in an ice bath, which was genuinely freezing. I used to say to him: ‘How do you do that, man? Your bath is so cold. I only put my legs in it.’

“Some players did not care too much about gym sessions, but as soon as Cristiano arrived, you would see everyone there.”

Benatia said Ronaldo was less comfortable with pre-match camps after joining Juventus, where players stayed together the night before home matches.

“I was at Juventus in 2018 when Cristiano joined. He did not really like the pre-match camps because he was not used to them. Before every home game, we went into camp the day before,” he said.

“Cristiano said to me: ‘Bena, is there a way to speak to the Italians and the coach for a little while?’ I replied: ‘Yes, of course, we will try, but this is part of the system here.’

“I then told Giorgio Chiellini: ‘We have a team-mate, Cristiano, who does not really like the pre-match camps.’”

Benatia added that discussions were held with the coach after three or four players, most of them regular starters, expressed the same preference.

“The coach replied: ‘Whoever wants to go to camp can go, and whoever wants to sleep at home can do so,’” he said.