Raul Albiol has underlined how important boss Rafael Benitez was in his decision to quit Real Madrid for Napoli this summer.
“I wanted to leave Madrid so that I could play more regularly,” the centre-back told FIFA.com. “Napoli were interested and, on top of that, Rafa Benitez was there!
Raul Albiol has underlined how important boss Rafael Benitez was in his decision to quit Real Madrid for Napoli this summer.
“I wanted to leave Madrid so that I could play more regularly,” the centre-back told FIFA.com. “Napoli were interested and, on top of that, Rafa Benitez was there!
“He gave me my debut at Valencia when I was 18, so when Napoli called me, I thought it was the ideal moment.
“I had the trust of the Coach and I hoped to repay that with hard work. I’m happy with the decision I took.
“Italian football has always interested me, it attracted me, and even though the level has perhaps dropped a little over the last few years, it remains a very attractive championship.
“Here the teams usually play with three central defenders and two strikers, something that rarely happens in Spain and the games are tighter, but I am adapting well.”
Napoli ended 2012-13 in second place, but the side strengthened over the summer in a bid to challenge for the Scudetto.
“It’s a team who have gone a long time since winning the League and that is why, for us, winning the Scudetto is a very important challenge,” added the 28-year-old.
“Juventus have dominated the championship in the last few seasons, but we hope to compete until the very end.”
The Azzurri are currently third in Serie A, five points adrift of Roma and six from leaders Juventus.