Sergio Ramos admits he ‘considered’ a move to Manchester United when the opportunity arose around six years ago.
The centre-back is dominating headlines today, speaking to the press after it was confirmed he would leave Real Madrid after 16 years at the club.
Ramos revealed he ended up accepting Los Blancos’ offer of a one-year contract on a reduced wage, but it was ‘too late’, and he will now move on for free when his contract expires at the end of this month.
But the Spanish international could have left the club previously, in 2015 in particular, when he was offered the chance to join Manchester United.
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“There was an offer from United. I considered changing for a while, but Real Madrid was always my priority and there were no economic reasons,” Ramos told COPE in 2016, as published by Tribuna.
“Did I feel cheated [by Madrid]? No, but I did feel disappointed for a while. There were some troubles that came to an end. Flattery from big clubs is always good as this is because you are doing well, but the fans and my club want me.”
The decision to stay proved to be a wise one for Ramos, who went on to win a La Liga title, two more Champions League titles, as well as four more honours after rejecting the offer.
The veteran defender has become a club legend at the Santiago Bernabeu, but he will now be looking for a new club after his departure was confirmed.
The Los Blancos skipper has already ruled out Barcelona and Sevilla as potential destinations, meaning he is almost certain to leave La Liga having spent all of his career in his homeland.