Real did not give me enough time, says Luxemburgo

Former Real Madrid coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo said he would have led the Spanish club to a major title if he had been given more time.

Luxemburgo, who was fired earlier this month after 11 months in charge, returned for a third stint at Santos on Wednesday when he was officially presented by the club.

"They hired a coach who is well known in Brazil but it seems that they didn't know anything about him," said Luxemburgo.

"If they had known me, they would have known that I have the capabilities of leading them to conquer a major title, either the Champions League or the Spanish championship.

"I didn't lose. They didn't let me win."

Former Brazil coach Luxemburgo led Santos to the 2004 Brazilian championship title before being appointed as coach of Real. He was also in charge of Pele's former club in 1997 before leaving to take up an offer with Corinthians.

Santos have employed three different coaches - Oswaldo Oliveira, Alexandre Gallo and Nelsinho - in Luxemburgo's absence, plus Serginho Chulapa on an interim basis.

"It was an enriching experience and I'm certain that I am better than before," said Luxemburgo.

"Today, I can say that the main difference between Brazilian football and European football is financial.

"Financially, European football is very strong. In other aspects, we're not losing out to them."

Luxemburgo said his priority was to qualify Santos for the 2007 Libertadores Cup, the South American equivalent of the Champions League. Santos missed out on next year's tournament because of their poor domestic form.