Real Madrid spent approximately €225 million on a host of stars during the summer transfer window; a former Los Blancos player disagreed with the club’s strategy.
Former Real Madrid forward Tote has vehemently criticised the club’s summer transfer strategy and the recent managerial appointment of José Mourinho.
The La Fábrica academy graduate delivered a scathing assessment of the club’s current direction during a recent appearance on Iker Casillas’ podcast.
Abandoning a technical midfield
Tote heavily condemned the front office’s decision to replace the technical brilliance of departing veterans Luka Modrić and Toni Kroos with purely physical acquisitions.
He argued that prioritising athleticism over playmaking ability has completely stripped the squad of its traditional footballing identity.
“Madrid cannot, after Modric and Kroos, exchange talent for muscle,” Tote stated.
“It is a mistake by Madrid and the worst transition that can be made in history, it is the most unrecognisable Madrid I have seen in the last 40 years.”
Lacking European hierarchy
While acknowledging the baseline quality required to wear the famous white shirt, Tote suggested the current roster lacks the pedigree to challenge for the UEFA Champions League.
“There is no player who has been at Real Madrid who is bad, it is impossible,” Tote explained.
“But they do not have the hierarchy to play or dominate Europe. Madrid simply lacks football.”
Mourinho’s return questioned
The conversation alongside Casillas inevitably shifted toward the polarising return of Mourinho to the Santiago Bernabeu dugout.
Casillas famously endured a fractured relationship with the Portuguese tactician during Mourinho’s initial spell in the Spanish capital between 2010 and 2013.
Tote publicly questioned whether the manager still possesses the necessary tactical drive to succeed following a nomadic recent career across Europe.
“Mourinho before, with his good and bad things, had energy, but today I do not know if he still has it,” Tote observed.
“He comes from many teams and age catches up with everyone, but what he certainly does not have is the team he had 20 years ago.”
Tote speaks from a position of direct historical experience, having previously won two La Liga titles with Real Madrid during the 2000/01 and 2002/03 campaigns before permanently departing for Real Betis in 2003.