Brazilian forward Robinho says that he had a choice between Barcelona and Real Madrid when he moved to Europe in 2005.
The player, currently playing in Turkey, says that Madrid’s Brazilian contingent made the decision an easy one for him.
He told Marca, “When Madrid came in for me, I saw that they had a great group of Brazilians in the squad and the coach was Vanderlei Luxemburgo.
“Why would I have gone to Barcelona? I know some people expected me to win the Ballon d’Or. When Pele speaks about you, people listen.
“They made those comparisons but there is no new Pele, not now, not ever.” The Brazilian also recalled his Real debut with relish.
“My debut was great. I’d arrived in Madrid the day before and I was nervous about playing. It was perfect. When I received my first pass, I flicked the ball over a Cadiz player and started to dribble.”
