Conte fires back at Sergio Ramos after rejecting Real Madrid job

Antonio Conte has hit back at Sergio Ramos, after he was warned by the defender about becoming Real Madrid’s next manager.

The former Chelsea boss was one of the favourites to replace Julen Lopetegui, who was sacked by Madrid two weeks ago.

But when asked about Conte’s potential rival and the Italian’s reputation of being a disciplinarian, Ramos said: “Respect is earned, it is not imposed.”

Conte has since ruled himself out of the running to take a new job while the season is still ongoing.

And the 49-year-old also issued a direct response to the warning he received from Ramos.

“When a coach arrives at a team he must bring education and respect, something that he would expect from the players too,” Conte told Rai Sport.

“When this goes wrong, the problems begin.

“We Italian coaches have a great culture of work and when you join a new club you can’t change everything, you must try and do it very gradually.

“Each coach must be a good tailor and adapt their beliefs to the human material that they have at their disposal.”