No hard feelings towards Madrid: Pellegrini

London: The Chilean coach says he does not hold a grudge against his former club and has revealed that a lack of ambition prompted him to leave Malaga.

Manuel Pellegrini has insisted that he does not have any hard feelings toward Real Madrid following his departure from the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer of 2010. The Malaga boss guided the capital to second place in La Liga in his only season at the club with a 96-point haul, a club record at the time, but was sacked at the end of the campaign once Jose Mourinho became available after leaving Inter. "Real Madrid had a different path in mind for the future and that`s alright. I do not hold a grudge. I am grateful that such a big team gave me the chance. The Madrid fans always supported me and showed me a lot of affection later on, too,” said Pellegrini. “It would not be a problem for me to meet Mourinho again in another country. We are two different persons who share the same profession and who behave differently." Pellegrini then went on to discuss his decision to leave Malaga at the end of the 2012-13 campaign. "I think that I`m freeing the team of a financial commitment that it could no longer fulfil. The club will be taking a different path, but I will always have warm feelings for Malaga.” “I had a very good contract at Malaga financially, but I was no longer motivated by the sporting ambitions. I did not feel excited about the developments. I always demand a competitive squad.” Pellegrini revealed on Wednesday that he already has a verbal agreement with Manchester City and is expected to complete his move to the Premier League side shortly. Goal.com