Napoli President Aurelio De Laurenitis has accused the Real Madrid players of being "spoiled superstars" and said that they can put the job of any coach in "danger".
De Laurenitis was specifically referring to Rafael Benitez, who had two good seasons as coach of Napoli, before departing for Real Madrid in the summer of 2015, where he was sacked within six months.
Benitez reportedly had arguments with captain Sergio Ramos and talisman Cristiano Ronaldo, and was eventually replaced by Zinedine Zidane.
Speaking to El Pais, as reported byESPN, ahead of Napoli's second leg encounter against Real Madrid, he said, "I couldn't keep [Benitez] for a third year.I was happy for him. But anyone who signs for Real Madrid is in danger. There are players, spoiled superstars, who if they go against the coach it affects the team's performance."
De Laurentiis: Cualquier entrenador está en peligro en el Real Madrid pic.twitter.com/l1LD4MlQlA
De Laurenitis then spoke about Gonzalo Higuain, who moved from Real Madrid to Napoli, and then left the Neapolitans to join Juventus in the summer of 2016 for£75.3 million. The Napoli owner said that the Argentine striker had been "ruined" by too much media coverage.
He said, "The whole [Higuain] operation was a total success.At Real Madrid he did not get the exposure he had at Napoli.They are young kids, and the media can ruin these people."
He elaborated further, saying, "He had a good year. But he missed penalties that meant we missed out on second place and qualification for the Champions League."
The temperamental film producer also said that Higuain's family tried to influence team selection by trying to tell him who should be played.
"[Higuain's] brother always told me -- 'Higuain does not like playing with [Jose] Callejon, buy other players.I never paid him any attention as I love Callejon. So I extended his contract four years. I am not a man who you can blackmail."