Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann explains why he rejected Real Madrid in 2018

Back in 2018, Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann was just a spry young coach eyeing his next move.

At Hoffenheim, Nagelsmann has showed that he had the chops, ingenuity, and work ethic to be a success. While moving to RB Leipzig would ultimately be Nagelsmann’s final decision, the German reportedly had an offer from Real Madrid.

“There’s a big difference,” Nagelsmann said (as captured by Marca). “When you take over the first team at Hoffenheim like I did, where I had already coached the youth teams and knew everyone from the cleaners to the gardeners, the adaptation time is extremely short. But when you come into a new club fresh and have to meet everyone for the first time, it’s another dimension entirely. So it was okay for me to look for a higher rung than Hoffenheim, but not the highest rung possible.”

It all makes sense now for Nagelsmann, who used his stay at Leipzig to catapult himself to a gig with Bayern Munich. AT this point, it would be hard to argue that he should have done things any differently.