Ezequiel Garay recalled his time at Real Madrid and the way he found happiness again at Benfica. The Argentine, in statements to TO THEpraised José Mourinho for returning the winning mentality to meringues and confessed that his heart “leans more towards Benfica”. Garay, who arrived in Madrid in 2009 from Racing Santander, described his arrival as that of “a boy from Rosario” trying to find his space among “big stars”. The lack of minutes led him to look for a new direction. The decision to move to Luz in 2011 was, according to him, «the right one». «It's difficult to leave a club like Real Madrid. I understood that what I liked most was playing, that I needed rhythm, to play several games in a row... and Benfica was going to give me that", he explained. The former Argentine international does not hide the affection he has for the Eagles: «My heart leans more towards Benfica. For the years I spent there, as a person and as a footballer. They were some of my best years. I owe a lot to this club and the people». Still, Garay has good memories of his time in the Spanish capital. “You can never say no to a club like Real Madrid. It’s a world apart,” he said, acknowledging that leaving was difficult. In the locker room meringueshared with Cristiano Ronaldo, the hierarchy was clear, especially when taking free kicks and penalties, where the Argentine had stood out at Racing. «It was more complicated. There was Cristiano and others who scored not only penalties, but also free kicks. I had to stay on a second, third or fourth level», he recalled with a laugh. The former central defender experienced the transition from Manuel Pellegrini to José Mourinho and is full of praise for the Portuguese coach, considering that his arrival was fundamental for the club: «He has a very big, very strong personality. Which is what a team needs", he analyzed, adding that Mourinho recovered the team's competitive identity whites: «It was something that was needed. Being able to compete, see what Real Madrid really is. And that had a huge impact on him.” Garay, who played alongside Messi and Cristiano, also drew a parallel with Real Madrid's new star, Kylian Mbappe. «I didn't share a dressing room with Kylian, but you can see that he's very hungry, that he wants to achieve a lot of things at Madrid. He is on his way to being a world star like Cristiano and Messi", he projected, convinced that the Frenchman "will make history". The Argentine also commented on the future of two former colleagues as coaches: «You could see that Xabi [Alonso] I would be a coach, Arbeloa, not really, but he is doing very well». Ezequiel Garay has expressed his desire that Álvaro Arbeloa can replicate Zidane's success at Real Madrid. “For Real Madrid, I always want everything to go well. May he win. I hope Arbeloa can win a Champions League and do what Zidane did", said the Argentine, highlighting the club's demands: "It's a different world and everyone wants to be there and win as much as possible." For the former defender, the key to managing a dressing room like Real Madrid's is the personality of the coach: «A dressing room like Real Madrid's is very difficult. There are great players, great stars. It's complicated to manage them. The coach has to have a lot of character.” Regarding the team's immediate improvement after psychological whiplash, Garay attributes it to a mental change in the players: It could be a change of scenery. Another way of working, of seeing football... Unconsciously, things change in the player's mind and this can be seen in the first two or three games. I hope they can continue like this.”