Sergio Scariolo: The Future Is Uncertain After His Departure from Real Madrid
The rumors of the past few days were officially confirmed on Thursday: Sergio Scariolo is no longer the head coach of Real Madrid, thus bringing his tenure with the Blancos to a close after one year as head coach—a season that, despite his best efforts, ended with losses in the finals of the Spanish Super Cup, the Copa del Rey, and the EuroLeague, as well as a painful elimination in the Liga ACB playoff quarterfinals despite having the best record in the regular season. The Brescia-born coach, in a video posted on his social media profiles, wanted to bid farewell to the club and the fans.
“The time has come to say goodbye to Real Madrid,” he said. “After everything we’ve shared over these past months, I feel the need to express my gratitude to the club for the opportunity it gave me, to the players for their commitment and discipline, to the coaching staff for their professionalism and loyalty, and to the fans who, for the most part, believed in us and supported us until the very end.”
“From my very first day, twelve months ago, I was asked in no uncertain terms to bring Real Madrid back to the top of European basketball,” he added. “Today, with humility and pride, I can say that we’ve succeeded. We played the best basketball possible given the team’s strengths; we had a great regular season, played well in the playoffs, and put on an extraordinary Final Four, despite the injuries and the hostile atmosphere in the final.”
“We also did everything we could in La Liga, winning the regular season. If we look at the last five games we played against Valencia—the team that went on to deservedly win La Liga—we see five straight wins for Real Madrid, almost always by a margin of ten or more points. We were a bit unlucky, but we gave it our all. I wish this club great success: I say goodbye to everyone and send a big hug.”
His departure from Real Madrid now opens up a scenario that remains to be seen for Sergio Scariolo. The Brescia-born coach, who in recent years has alternated between club coaching roles and stints with the Spanish national team, is now without a job and has not yet indicated the direction of his professional future. After an intense and pressure-filled season, Scariolo seems intent on taking the time needed to clearly assess the next step in his career.
