Marcos Llorente: “I was clear that I had to leave Real Madrid”

Former Real Madrid midfielder Marcos Llorente spoke to Club del Deportista ahead of the Madrid Derby this weekend.

Llorente, who has been one of the best midfielders in Spain, is enjoying a new role under head coach Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid, where he plays in a more attacking position, and is an important offensive creator.

His role now is completely different than what it was at Real Madrid, but he’s also playing a lot more than he was under Zinedine Zidane.

“I was very clear that I had to leave,” Llorente said about his Real Madrid departure. “When Atleti’s offer arrived, I didn’t hesitate.

“Now, things are going very, very well for me. I’m happy about it.

“When a player gets minutes, they grow. They become a better player, and that’s what’s happening to me now.”

Llorente also spoke about his new role.

“If you had told me a year ago, I would have said you were crazy,” Llorente said. “I’ve been a midfielder for almost all of my life, and a defensive one at that.

Llorente also elaborated how life-changing his goal at Anfield was, something that both Kiyan Sobhani and Jeremy Beren talked about on yesterday’s Madrid Derby Preview Podcast for Managing Madrid Patrons.

“The coach told me about it a long time ago; he told me that one day he’d put me up, that he thought it would benefit the team. So, we did it at Anfield, and then after the quarantine I stayed there.”