Former Real Madrid defender Cicinho has opened up about the club’s dressing room during his time at the club. 

Cicinho, who spent two seasons at Real, has claimed that Los Blancos’ high profile players pulled the strings at the club behind the scenes.

The now 36-year-old has even gone so far as to suggest the senior players manipulated the club’s manager and the press.

‘When Roberto Carlos left, I was the main [right back], Sergio Ramos was central and sometimes on the right, and then Michel Salgado was the third-choice full-back,’ Cicinho told ESPN Brasil.

‘Then [Iker] Casillas gave the second captaincy to Salgado so he could play. That’s where these little groups started. Julio Baptista told me about it,’ Cicinho added.

Cicinho was adamant that the senior players held a tremendous amount of power behind closed doors within the dressing room.

‘Guti, Salgado, [Ivan] Helguera, Raul, Casillas… those were the leaders of the group. And those who entered the group were those who obeyed them.

‘They were the ones who manipulated. They would eat the head of the press and the manager,’ Cicinho insisted.

Cicinho made 32 appearances in his time at Real, winning the 2006-07 La Liga title.