Middlesbrough’s 2003 move for Gaizka Mendieta was something of a coup at the time, as Boro were able to land one of the previous decade’s most creative midfielders, a player who was the fulcrum of Valencia’s turn-of-the century successes under manager Rafael Benitez.
The playmaker arrived at the Riverside Stadium initially on loan, helping the club win their first-ever major trophy when they beat Bolton Wanderers in the final of the 2004 League Cup before signing permanently and being a key player in their run to the UEFA Cup final two years later.
But by the end of the following season, Mendieta had fallen out of favour with new boss Gareth Southgate and would close the book on his career when the 2007/08 campaign came to an end.
Mendieta on his Boro spell turning sour
“He had one year left on his contract as a player, I had two,” Mendieta recalls to FourFourTwo when asked about his relationship with the future England boss. “One summer he called to say he’d been offered the manager’s job.
“I congratulated him and said he’d have the dressing room’s support. But once the season began, he stopped counting on me and never explained it – he only gave me excuses.
“At one point I told him I thought he wasn’t being honest, and that I deserved honesty. If not, there was no point in me staying.”
So why did the 40-time Spain international believe that his manager was not being honest?
“I think it was down to inexperience,” he continues. “And it wasn’t just with me – it happened with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Juninho and Massimo Maccarone too.
“We realised the club wanted to refresh the squad. That would’ve been fine, but I’d have preferred if they’d just told me straight. What I didn’t like was being told I was part of the plans, then constantly left on the bench or in the stands.
“I remember there was a Basque Country friendly I wanted to play in, but Gareth asked me to stay because he wanted me to start, then he subbed me at half-time with no explanation.
“At the end of the season, I retired. Years later we crossed paths and he admitted he perhaps hadn’t handled it the best way. I hold no grudges.”
