Former Real Madrid forward reveals why his time at the club fell apart – ‘I kept telling myself…’ | OneFootball

Former Real Madrid striker Mariano Diaz has finally spoken about his time at the club and why he stayed for so long despite not being a regular in the first team.

Now 31, Mariano joined Los Blancos in 2012 but never truly nailed down a starting spot, spending most of his time as a backup and making only occasional appearances.

In an interview with El Chiringuito TV, he was asked why he struggled to gain consistency at the club. Mariano pointed to the obvious:

“Why didn’t I get continuity at Real Madrid? Karim Benzema was playing at a very high level, and maybe there just wasn’t room for me.

“These things happen. Maybe the team didn’t play with two forwards back then, or maybe it was always Benzema’s spot.”

It is a realistic admission from the Dominican Republic international, who had to live in the shadow of one of the best strikers in the world.

Despite showing flashes of talent during his limited chances, he never got the regular playing time needed to build rhythm and confidence.

Loyalty and sporting reasons shaped his decisions

Mariano Diaz failed to break in Real Madrid’s first team. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Mariano was also asked why he stayed at Madrid for so long when he had multiple offers from other clubs. His response showed just how much it meant to him to wear the white shirt:

“At the beginning, when I joined Real Madrid, it was my dream to play here. It’s very hard to make it to this level.

“I kept telling myself, ‘I’m going to train every day and prove that I can do it.’ That dream kept me going.”

He did admit that in later years, there were more efforts to move away, but nothing came together.

“It wasn’t about money,” Mariano said. “I had offers from Qatar, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia… and for more money too. But they didn’t fit what I was looking for sportingly.”

For him, it seems clear that the project mattered more than the pay cheque. He stayed in hopes of breaking through at Real Madrid, even if that opportunity never fully came.