Leon: Mourinho humiliated me

Posted Wednesday, October 05, 2011 by ESPN

Getafe loanee Pedro Leon has broken rank and hit out at his treatment while at parent club Real Madrid.

Leon was loaned out to Getafe in the summer after failing to make the grade at the Bernabeu.

The 24-year-old midfielder, who had initially joined Madrid from Getafe in July 2010 for €10million, claims he suffered humiliation at the hands of Real coach Jose Mourinho.

Leon made just five starts for Madrid last season.

"I felt humiliated at Madrid," Leon told Cadena SER.

"I am not aware of doing anything wrong. I did all I could, I was professional, I worked hard.

"I think that everyone who is under a contract should be treated the same way, but I do not have any reason to complain about the club."

Leon was upset by comments made by Mourinho when the manager was pressed to answer why he did not start Real's €10million signing. The Portuguese tactician responded by saying that Pedro Leon was "not [Zinedine] Zidane, nor [Diego] Maradona".

"The way in which those comments were made hurt me more than the words themselves," Leon said.

"There are many ways to say things, you can say whatever you want, but you can do it in many different ways."

Leon was also unhappy that Mourinho blocked an enquiry from Barclays Premier League side Chelsea despite his lack of first team opportunities in the Spanish capital.

"Chelsea are one of the biggest clubs in Europe and of course I was excited about the possibility," he said.

"The coach gave me his opinion and told me he would not let me go. He told me I would not play much in London.

"Honestly, my opinion is that Chelsea's coach [then] was Carlo Ancelotti, not him."

Leon is a former Spain U-21 international.