In an attempt to guide parents into taking full advantage of the values conveyed through sport in the education of their children, Real Madrid legend Emilio Butragueno was one of a number of speakers advocating the Mutua Madrilena Foundation's latest book 'Sports and Values'.
The event was also attended by Rafael Rullan, former Real Madrid basketball player and president, Eli Pinedo, a former handball player, Alberto Berasategui, a former tennis player, and Horacio Gaggioli, Lionel Messi's first representative in Spain.
"I am one of those parents who encourages their child to play sports, and there is a responsibility on the part of the parents, with some taking the passion they show in a professional stadium and transferring that to their child's game," Butragueno began.
"I had to listen to parents talk about a coach as if they were professionals, but it is a reflection of our society.
"It is also important to make sure that your child is competitive, giving 100%, but that they also show respect to the other team and to the referee.
"You have to combine the two values, and if I had to choose an ideal athlete, it would be Rafa Nadal as he behaves exquisitely.
"Gaggioli spoke about the pressure that some parents put on their children and the negative effects that it can have.
"Many kids fall by the wayside because they cannot bear the pressure of their father," he claimed.
"I always tell parents that I have some conditions: that they continue their role as a parent and as a good person, and I will handle the sporting side."
