Former Real Madrid winger recalls special memory with Florentino Perez – ‘I wasn’t kicked out of the team because…’ | OneFootball

Jese Rodriguez, once seen as one of the brightest stars from Real Madrid’s academy, has reflected on his career in an interview with El Chiringuito TV.

The winger, who now plays for Las Palmas, was once tipped to become one of the world’s best.

However, his career path took him across several countries, including France, England, Portugal, Italy, Turkey, Brazil and Malaysia, after leaving the Santiago Bernabeu.

Recalling Florentino Perez’s intervention

During the interview, Jese recalled the ups and downs of his time at Madrid, including one particular incident that almost cost him his place at the club.

The former Madrid man explained how he came close to being kicked out after a heated clash against Atletico de Madrid.

“Florentino loved me very much. I was a bit of his right eye, yes. There was a time when I made one of the worst mistakes I’ve ever made.

“They were beating me up from all sides, insulting me, and the referee wasn’t calling a single foul.

“I protested to the referee, I told him they were kicking me and he wasn’t giving them a card, and then he gave me a yellow card. I took it and headbutted him,” he said.

Jese admitted he feared the worst, but Florentino Perez stepped in.

“They didn’t kick me out because of Florentino. At the end of the day, I scored a lot of goals every year, and I was always standing out.

“If it had been someone else, they would have kicked them out for sure. We had an hour-long meeting with Florentino, Carlos Bucero, my agent, and me.

“Florentino was very serious. I knew I had screwed up, and I was screwed too. I thought he was going to fire me.

Jese Rodriguez had complete backing for Florentino Perez. (Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)

“Florentino taught me a lesson, an important reflection on what Madrid is all about, and told me that we would meet another day and talk. And when he said that, I said, ‘Well, he’s not going to fire me,’” he noted.

Following the incident, Jese served a 15-match ban and had a disciplinary file opened against him.

Still, Perez’s support prevented further consequences that could have ended his Real Madrid journey early.

On Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo

Jese also spoke about his time with Kylian Mbappe at PSG. He revealed that Mbappe had already spoken about his dream.

“He asked me about Madrid, about the club. I asked him what his dream was, and he said to win the Ballon d’Or.

“So I replied: ‘Well, you have to go to Madrid, otherwise you won’t win it. You won’t win it here.’ He said: ‘OK.’

“He already knew they wanted him, and he asked me.”

Jese also remembered the influence of Cristiano Ronaldo during his time at Madrid. The Portuguese star, he said, was supportive of young players.

“He gave me a lot of advice. When I came up to the first team, we had a very good relationship.

“There was one time we didn’t talk much because he yelled at me after I didn’t give him a pass (laughs).

“He yelled at me in the locker room and told me I needed to make better decisions about certain situations, such as when to shoot or not.

“He spent two or three weeks seriously with me, but he helped me focus better on the pitch,” Jese concluded.