Rivaldo: 'Antonio Conte would be a good choice for Real Madrid'

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 30 October 2018

Rivaldo insists that Santiago Solari 'is not ready' to manage Real Madrid on a full-time basis, instead backing Antonio Conte to take on the high-profile position.

Barcelona icon Rivaldo has suggested that Antonio Conte would be the ideal choice for Real Madrid as they need a manager who "adds discipline".

The European champions sacked Julen Lopetegui in the wake of their 5-1 humbling at the hands of arch-rivals Barcelona, leaving them 10th in the Spanish top flight.

Conte is the favourite to succeed Lopetegui at the Bernabeu, although reports in Spain suggest that the former Chelsea manager's arrival could be delayed because of his transfer demands, meaning that Santiago Solari will take charge for the time being.

Rivaldo believes that the Italian could be the solution to all of Los Blancos' problems, telling Betfair: "I believe Santiago will stay for just a couple of matches, and sooner or later Real Madrid will reach an agreement with a new manager.

"I suppose they are still negotiating with Antonio Conte and could end up agreeing terms. But for now, Solari is a good option as he already knows the club and players, but I don't think he is going to stay in charge for long because he is just not ready yet.

"Conte is an experienced manager who could be a good option for Real Madrid. Bringing a manager with discipline could be useful as maybe everyone relaxed a bit too much after recent successful seasons. Real have a great group of players and this is not a normal situation for the club.

"I believe Conte would be a good choice. When you need to put your house in order, you should bring someone that adds discipline and installs a strong work ethic. I think he might be the ideal choice for Madrid right now."

Conte won three Serie A titles with Juventus and the Premier League with Chelsea in 2016-17.