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Croatia striker Mario Mandzukic has said his move to Atletico Madrid from Bayern Munich was prompted by “disrespect” from Bayern coach Pep Guardiola, according to a Croatian sports newspaper yesterday. |
“Guardiola disappointed me, he disrespected me and prevented me from being the top Bundesliga scorer,” the Sportske Novosti daily quoted Mandzukic as saying. “I had it twice as good when Jupp Heynckes was there.”
The striker, who played a key part in winning the treble of Bundesliga, German Cup and Champions League in his first season at Bayern, said he would now “not have coffee with Guardiola.”
“I did not deserve to be treated like that after all I did for Bayern. I felt things change as soon as he arrived - I tried to adapt, but saw that I have no future in Bayern,” Mandzukic said.
Mandzukic, who joined Spanish champion Atletico in the summer after the end of his second season at Bayern, said Guardiola did not want him playing in the German Cup final.
“He did not want me as the top scorer, so I had not played late in the season. It is not so important to me, but it showed disrespect for me. It would have made more sense had he said that I do not fit into his philosophy,” Mandzukic said.