Esteban Cambiasso Reveals Why He Left Real Madrid and How He Succeeded at Inter Milan

​Former Real Madrid midfielder Esteban Cambiasso has lifted the lid on his struggles at the Bernabeu and hinted that the off-field politics at the club were behind his eventual departure in 2004.

The Argentine had two separate spells in Madrid with the club's senior and B teams during his younger years.

A disappointing first spell towards the end of the last Millennium saw him head back to his homeland, before he then returned to the Bernabeu in the summer of 2002.

Despite winning numerous trophies in a two-year period, Cambiasso went on to leave the Spanish giants once again when his contract expired after just two years, and having then gone on to become a household name at Inter Milan, the 36-year-old has revealed that the politics at Los Blancos made it difficult for him to establish himself in the first-team.

He told ​Marca: "I was given the chance to return to Argentina after two years in Madrid B because I needed more competition.

"Already in the first team, the politics of the moment meant that most of the side were made up of academy players and galacticos, and I wasn't either of those.

"There was no continuity for my characteristics (in his second spell), and I drew more attention being absent from the starting line up than being present.

"I understood clearly why I was going: I wasn't part of the sporting and economic model. It was unsustainable to have 6-7 of the best paid players in the world and some had to leave."

It was at Inter Milan that Cambiasso was able to showcase his skills and finally come good on the talent he had shown in glimpses at Madrid.

Undoubtedly a career highlight during his decade at the San Siro was the treble winning 2010/2011 season, where, under the guidance of Jose Mourinho, the Nerazzurri won the Scudetto, Coppa Italia and Champions League.

When asked why he and the rest of the team were able to achieve such a rare feat, Cambiasso explained that it was the spirit in the dressing room that allowed him and his teammates to thrive. 

"I was better at Inter in many ways. Knowing that my back was covered with someone like Samuel, I felt confident. To be with Zanetti, who understood me just by looking at me..."

He added: "(We were) a team that relied heavily on itself, from the first to the last minute. In any circumstance, especially if it was unfavourable.

"There were many nationalities in that team, many had been discarded from other clubs, but we were all very close. In Europe we wanted to take a leap and we had a very ambitious coach.

"We felt invincible even if we were not."