A huge surprise. Real Madrid officially hired a Catalan coach.

Spanish club Real Madrid today, Monday, officially announced the appointment of Pedro Martinez as the new coach of the basketball team, replacing Italian Sergio Scariolo, who was fired after a disastrous, non-title season.

Real Madrid TV reports that the Catalan coach, who was born in Barcelona in 1961, has signed a three-year contract extension until the 2028-2029 season, after Real paid a €1.2m release clause to sign him from Valencia Basket.

Scariolo’s sacking followed a disastrous season in which Real lost the Euroleague final to Olympiacos, the Copa del Rey to Baskonia, the Spanish Super Cup to Valencia and the La Liga quarter-finals to Tenerife, the first time Real have failed to win a title since 2011.

Martínez is considered one of the greatest coaches in Spanish basketball history, with 35 years of experience since his start at Juventus in the 1989-1990 season through ten different clubs, including Estudiantes, Baskonia, Gran Canaria and Manresa.

The Catalan coach enjoyed remarkable success with Valencia Basket over the past two seasons as they led the team to second place in the Europa League with 25 wins and 13 losses and qualified for the semi-finals for the first time in their history with a historic comeback from a (0-2) deficit to win (3-2) Panathata in the quarter-finals.

In his first interview with Real Madrid TV, Martinez said: “It is a great honor for me to be part of Real Madrid. Every coach in the world wants to be at a club like this, with its high standards and ability to perform in all competitions.

He added: “I know the ancient history of the club and I will do everything to fulfill the responsibility set by the professionals who preceded me in this club.”

The new coach revealed his training philosophy, saying: “I prefer an active and efficient defense and I am in favor of exchanging the ball. I think the passing game is extremely important and every player feels important. A team that has a harmonious rhythm and plays without fear.”

He noted that the main thing is to build the project on “a balanced mix of young and experienced players”, adding: “Experienced players have great leadership qualities and there are some players in the squad who have proven that well and we need young players who are driven and ambitious to reach the highest levels.”

Martinez joining Real Madrid came as a complete surprise as nobody expected him to leave Valencia after winning the Spanish league title with the team, but the opportunity to coach one of the Euroleague giants turned things around.

The Royals are looking to turn the page on a disastrous season and start a new project that includes everything from management, the departures of Sergio Rodriguez and Martínez Pocis and the return of Juan Carlos Sánchez and Alberto Herreros, to the coaching staff with Martínez’s appointment in an attempt to restore lost European dominance.