There have been many instances when a big name player from a Premier League club has gone to join one from Spain. We have seen the same happen to Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale, more recently but there was another star who did the same in 1999, Steve McManaman.
The former Liverpool midfielder was in his prime years in 1999 and moved to Real Madrid where he became just the second big British player to move to Spain. There were issues with his contract negotiations with the Reds at the time and the team was underperforming, so it made sense for the gifted player to leave.
During the Big Interview podcast hosted by Graham Hunter, the 44-year-old Englishman revealed why he left the Reds.
“It wasn’t financial, because the money Liverpool offered me to stay was virtually on a par. I wanted to leave. At that time I had never played in the Champions League, which was a huge thing,” he added, “I was playing really good football and I needed to test myself. I felt that I needed to go.”
“I wanted to go abroad, I didn’t want to play for somebody against Liverpool. I was playing good football and I had the right kind of clubs interested in me — Barcelona, Madrid and Juventus.
“They were European Champions, World Champions, they were the best team in the world. That white kit, Di Stefano, Puskas, all that. And so it was Madrid.”
When Madrid call, you listen
McManaman was also in negotiations with Barcelona and Juventus at the time but Real Madrid calling is another feeling altogether. Gareth Bale would also state the same and even Cristiano Ronaldo left Manchester United to play for the Galacticos.
The former Liverpool man, however, did state that turning up for the Reds and progressing through the ranks was a memory he would cherish for a long time.
“To train, to play, to mix with these players as an apprentice and then join them as a professional they taught me everything about football. When you play for Liverpool or Real Madrid, the history is all around you.”
McManaman did have a much better time in Spain than in England as he picked up a couple of La Liga titles and a couple of Champions League titles with Real. He also won the man of the match award in the final of the Champions League in 2000 and is considered as one of the best British players ever to have graced La Liga.
Liverpool’s Luis Suarez also had a record breaking time when he shifted to Barcelona picking up La Liga and Champions League honours. Hopefully, the Reds can start picking up trophies to keep hold of their best assets and not losing them to other clubs.
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