Queens Park Rangers goalkeeper Júlio César surprised the football world when he signed for the west London club last summer but the Brazilian international has revealed it was the project presented to him by chairman Tony Fernandes that convinced him to move to England.
César, 33, left Inter Milan last summer after the Italian giants looked to trim their wage bill and admits that he jumped at the chance to move to the Premier League instead of heading back to Brazil.
“They gave me a chance when things had become really difficult for me in Italy," he told the Guardian.
“I am really grateful for the opportunity, the doors this move opened for me. I had seven wonderful years at Inter and won every trophy possible.
“I was really down after being sidelined but I had the feeling my time in Europe was not over, even though I was approached by a Brazilian club.
"When Mr [Tony] Fernandes contacted me, I immediately thought it was my chance to play in the Premier League, so I met him in London. Then he presented QPR"s project to me, his plan to make them gain respect and awareness abroad.
"I really liked what I heard. There were no crazy promises, like ‘let"s win the Champions League next year", and that convinced me something special was going on."
The chance to live in London was also a big draw for the former Flamengo keeper, something that his family are taking advantage of.
“I owed that to my wife and the kids. London is such an amazing place. We live close to museums and shops. I don"t mind taking them on the tube or the bus. Even when I bump into Brazilian or Italian fans, it is much more chilled out."
However, the move has not gone exactly to plan and QPR find themselves bottom of the table, having sacked manager Mark Hughes and replaced him with Harry Redknapp.
“It was tough going to work in that situation. Nobody expected us to hit that bad patch.
"Of course there were injuries like [Bobby] Zamora"s and the fact that a lot of new players arrived. I think even rival supporters were hoping we"d win a first game."
"I have heard of the boss"s reputation as a manager who can rescue teams and I have never been relegated in my life, so let"s hope we can combine our powers."
One of the situations César has had to deal with is the competition with fellow keeper Rob Green but the Brazilian says that their is no animosity between the two.
“There were suggestions I was upset but it"s nonsense. I got injured against Sunderland and when I was fit again the boss decided to keep Green in the team. They even got our first win when he was playing.
“The manager explained the situation and I said ‘Boss, I respect your choice. Working with me is easy: I respect your choice and will have to prove to you on the pitch I deserve to be back in the team."
"Then he called me back for the Liverpool match. It was a shame we lost 3-0 but I think he"s happy with me and I"m certainly happy with his trust in my work."
César will be in action on Saturday when QPR face Norwich at Loftus Road.
Source: The Guardian
