A former Real Madrid midfielder has opened up about his decision to quit the Spanish giants, a move ex-Los Blancos boss Jose Mourinho seemingly failed to understand.
Hamit Altintop joined the Spanish giants from Bayern Munich on a free transfer in 2011, but left just one year later for Galatasaray in his country of birth, Turkey.
Discussing his decision to move on from the club recently, the 36-year-old, who retired from football in 2018, revealed that Mourinho asked him if he was "crazy" when he made his intention to quit the Santiago Bernabeu known.
"'Are you crazy? You want to leave Real Madrid? It is not possible, but how can you think that?' was Mourinho's response," Altintop said, according to Marca.
"Real Madrid was very important to me, it was a decisive step in my career.
"I love the club, the city, the president, but I couldn't go on (there)."
Altintop played just 12 games for Real during his year in Spain, scoring one goal along the way.
