Argentine tactician and former Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino refused to go to the Bernabeu in 2018 to stay with the London side
Mauricio Pochettino does not regret his decision to keep his contract at Tottenham and avoid Real Madrid in 2018, but has been frustrated by the alleged lack of "support" from the Spurs board.
Pochettino spent five years with Spurs after joining from Southampton in 2014, making the Tottenham side a top 4 Premier League regulars and Champions League finalists.
However, a rough start to the 2019-20 season led to his sacking last November, with Spurs calling on Jose Mourinho as his replacement.
Pochettino previously had the option to leave on his own terms in 2018 when Real Madrid tried to sign him to succeed Zinedine Zidane, but he chose to stay there.
In the short term, it turned out to be a wise move when he led Spurs to their first Champions League final and Madrid sent Julen Lopetegui and Santiago Solari packing in the same campaign to finally convince Zidane to return in March 2019.
But a few months after Spurs' Champions League loss to Liverpool, the club's prospects were much bleaker and Pochettino was no longer backed by Chairman Daniel Levy and the board.
When asked by El Pais as cited by Sports Central if he regretted not joining Madrid when the opportunity presented itself, Pochettino said: "I was happy at Tottenham and I signed a contract. "And we (his staff and Spurs) finished very well, the relationship is impeccable. I always say, without false humility, that we too made mistakes that led to what happened, although we did expect a little more support or reassurance to reverse the situation. "But the club line was going another way and there was wear; respite was needed from both sides. "We work in a result-led environment where it seems that all the things that have a good result are the ones that continue. But, how do you measure what works or not? "Only the one who wins or the one who exceeds expectations? After the Champions League final, four years in the top four, two years without signings ... a different management strategy was needed. "Sometimes the vision of a coaching staff is not accepted by the club management. We knew what could happen. "You need to fall, be down to then go up, but Tottenham made the decision to separate us after five and a half years. I understand that it is a long time.
