By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Real Madrid is finalizing a monumental shift in the EuroLeague by appointing 65-year-old Catalan tactician Pedro Martinez as its new head coach.
Paving the way for a three-year contract, the capital club reportedly triggered a one-million-euro buyout clause to secure his services for a net salary of €1.2 million per season. This blockbuster hiring consequently brought an early end to Sergio Scariolo’s tenure with Los Blancos.
The veteran strategist discussed the abrupt transition with Juan Carlos Villena of Las Provincias in an interview published Friday, admitting that when he signed his contract extension with Valencia in March, he ‘believed that would be my last contract as a head coach at the highest level’.
“I will continue to coach as long as I can, and as long as I’m physically healthy, but at a professional level, it’s something different due to the demands involved,” he added.
“Two people close to me told me that two EuroLeague teams were interested in signing me,” Martinez continued on later developments during the Liga Endesa Playoffs 2026. “They wanted to know my willingness to do so and, since they knew I was under contract, what the buyout clause was.”
“One of the teams that showed interest was Real Madrid, and the other was a foreign club,” he clarified. “I didn’t speak to anyone from Real Madrid during the Playoffs, nor did anyone from the club contact me.”
“At that moment, and I want to emphasize this, I was the coach of Valencia until the very last minute, and I gave my all for Valencia. Right up to the last minute,” he explained, referring to his season-ending speech to the Valencia players.
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