Pedro Martínez and Real Madrid have reached an agreement making the coach the head of the club's basketball team for the next three seasons
Real Madrid and Pedro Martínez have agreed to a deal that binds the coach to the club as head coach of the senior basketball team for the next three seasons, through the end of the 2028-2029 season.
Pedro Martínez gave his first interview as Real Madrid's new head coach on Realmadrid TV. The coach expressed his pride: "It's an honor. It's a mythical entity and club. Some of the best players and coaches in the world have been here. Obviously, it's a pride to be part of it. I know the legacy and I'm going to try to give my best to live up to the professionals who have been here before."
"All coaches in the world want to be at a club like this, with that demand and capacity to compete in all competitions. It's a tremendous challenge and my main objective can only be to try to help the players and the club so that we have the greatest possible success."
League Champion
"Winning a title always teaches you something positive. The first is how important day-to-day work is and working as a team to achieve any success. To become champions you always need very good teamwork. You also have to overcome certain adverse moments that always come. Those are the most important lessons."
His Evolution as a Coach
"Compared to my early years, I think I'm more communicative now. I try to be closer to the players and talk more with them. From there, you realize that tactics are very good, but the most important thing is to transmit confidence and that the team is comfortable with the playing style that's proposed."
Characteristics of His Teams
"I like to have active defense, a proactive defense. I like to share the ball. I think it's important to play with passes and for everyone to feel involved. Making all players feel important is the main foundation. A team with rhythm, that plays without fear and is capable of competing... My main responsibility has to be to try to help the players and motivate them to improve. That improvement will benefit the team. You need everyone to feel important so they're prepared to help at different moments of the season."
"Also physical preparation and distribution of effort, both in training and in games so that players arrive at competition and at the end of the season, which is when most titles will be decided, in good shape. Finally, mental preparation is also very important. You have to prepare mentally for sustained effort over many months."
Player Profiles
"I would say it's essential to have both profiles: experienced players who have great leadership capacity, and the team has some who have demonstrated this amply; and also young players with energy and that touch of ambition to aspire to the maximum. That's the ideal combination and what ultimately allows a team to be a very good team."
Message to the Fans
"First of all, gratitude for belonging to such an incredibly great entity with an impressive history. It won't be for lack of effort or dedication. I hope to live up to it. We need everyone's support to be successful."