Arjen Robben has revealed that he saw moving from Real Madrid to Bayern Munich in 2009 as a step down.
- By Michael Bell
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The winger was sold from Real Madrid in 2009 when Florentino Perez’s return as the club’s president was followed by a number of high profile arrivals such as Cristiano Ronaldo.
Despite now being with Bayern Munich for eight years, Robben has revealed that he didn’t like the idea of leaving Real for the Bavarians at the time.
He told Fox Sports, “It was a bit of a weird summer with the return of Florentino Perez as president. And then all the new signings arrived. Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema and Xabi Alonso all came to Madrid for a huge amount of money.
“We were told that the club would be able to make some money on me if they sold me. But I initially did not want to leave. I had possibly my best pre-season ever, but I still did not get a chance, so I had to make a decision.
“There was contact with Bayern, but it was a difficult decision, the most difficult one of my career. Bayern were not among the European elite at that moment – like we are now – and it was a step back for me.
“I went for it in the end, because the club did everything within their power to sign me. And the presence of Louis van Gaal obviously played a role as well.
“I am a real Bayern man now, I am into my eighth season here and I have become a part of this club.”
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