Montpellier defender Vitorino Hilton has revealed that he chose to leave Marseille after a robbery at his home left him and his family psychologically scarred.
The 35-year-old Brazilian joined the club for €5million in 2008 and made more than 50 Ligue 1 appearances over the course of three seasons.
However, while he was contemplating leaving the club, a house robbery gave him no choice but to move on.
He told Goal.com: “I wasn"t getting the opportunities I wanted from the coach [Didier Deschamps] and I needed a new club to show that I could still perform well.
“Besides, I couldn"t stay at Marseille after my house was robbed. My family and I didn"t have the psychological strength to stay in the city after that. It was a very tough moment for me.
“Montpellier came at the final hour and I decided to accept their offer, since I wanted to stay in the southern part of the country and I knew it was a quieter place than Marseille."
Hilton was part of Montpellier"s title-winning campaign last season, and he thinks it was the belief of his side that gave them the edge over current table-toppers Paris Saint-Germain.
He added: “No one imagined that we would manage to stay at the top of the table for the entire season, but the team fought from the start to ensure that would happen.
“The team grew as the time passed and, as soon as we passed PSG, we had the personality to hold on to top position.
In terms of his future, the veteran centre-back also revealed that he would like to return to his native homeland to finish his career.
“I do think about finishing my career in Brazil. I"ve had a dream since I was a child of playing at Flamengo, the team that I love," he concluded.
Source: Goal.com
