5 world-class players who rejected Real Madrid
Real Madrid seemingly have the power to pick the players they want to sign. There aren't too many who would say no to the Spanish giants considering the brand they have built and the history of the club.
Almost every young footballer dreams of making a move to the Bernabeu. Many have tried and failed to make the cut and were forced to leave to revitalize their careers. Others have made their dreams come true in Madrid, but some got the opportunity but decided to turn it down.
It takes some willpower to reject a move to one of the most popular clubs in the world, but these 5 did exactly that.
5. Marco Verratti
Marco Verratti made his first-team debut aged 19 right after making a move from Pescara in Italy. Verratti had offers from various clubs ever since he started playing for the Italian minnows.
His talent was there for all to see and there were several big clubs ready to sign him on, but he chose the French outfit and has stayed with them since. Verratti made it public that he had the chance to join Real Madrid in that summer.
This wasn't the first time Madrid have tried to sign him. Los Blancos have reportedly scouted him several times and probably wanted him to be the ideal successor to Luka Modric who is now in his 30s.
But Verratti decided to stay at PSG and also explained why he snubbed a move to the Bernabeu in an interview.
"I want to win something with this shirt. It's not that I technically turned Real Madrid down, it's that when I am happy in a team, I don't even want to begin negotiations with another club."
4. Paul Pogba
The transfer saga of Paul Pogba is a long one and one that has received a lot of attention in the media. When you are one of the world's most sought after midfielders, you are bound to have a hefty price tag.
When the Frenchman left for Juventus on a free from Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson knew he had let go of someone exceptional. Four years and 4 Serie A titles later, he returned to Old Trafford in 2016 after Jose Mourinho shelled out a record-breaking £89 million to secure his signature.
But the one month of rumours and gossip that went on before his move made Manchester United fans very uneasy. For a good part of the early summer transfer season, it looked like the Frenchman would head to the Bernabeu and not Old Trafford.
Zidane even admitted that they were interested and were jostling with the Red Devils for his signature. But Raiola confirmed that Pogba had his heart set on a return to United.
"Zinedine Zidane wanted Paul Pogba at Real Madrid, but five or six other clubs were after him too."
"I never spoke to Pogba about the transfer market when he was taking part in Euro 2016. Then he went on vacation because he was very disappointed by the final. So I went to meet him in Miami to get him up to speed. He explained to us what he wanted. Manchester is his home."
Pogba still hasn't hit peak form after four years at the club and continues to be linked with a move to Real Madrid.
3. Steven Gerrard
There has been more than one occasion when Steven Gerrard was offered a move to a European super club. But it was the scouse voice inside that stopped him from leaving the club he grew up at and later achieved greatness.
The story of him almost joining Chelsea is one that has been talked about at length. He handed in a transfer request in the summer of 2005 a few weeks before he would lift the Champions League trophy with his Liverpool teammates.
But his conscience set him right and at 11 pm in the night, he called up his agent and told him he did not want to swap Red for Blue. However, a year earlier, he had the opportunity to join Real Madrid.
His former teammate Michael Owen had already made that switch, but it wasn't a very successful one. He spoke about why he turned down a move to Madrid in an interview in 2014:
“I think I had a couple of options throughout my career to go to Real Madrid but I resisted temptation because of the big connection I had to my hometown club.”
"It may be something I regret further down the line by not challenging myself and having a change of scenery in a different country, but I would have had a bigger regret leaving the club I love. I am a big fan of Madrid, they are a special club, but for me, Liverpool are my number one club."
Gerrard would have probably never been loved by his fans the way he is worshipped now if he had ever joined Los Blancos.
2. Neymar
Neymar is now the envy of everyone at Real Madrid after the success he's had with arch-rivals Barcelona, and later with Paris Saint-Germain.
And yet, he was very close to joining Real Madrid on two occasions. The first one was when he was only 13, and Madrid scouts had recommended him to the board. Neymar even came to Europe, but he did not feel right in his heart to leave Brazil.
He explained in an interview with L'Equipe his decision to stay in Brazil at that young age.
"I was 13, it was the first time I came to Europe. At that time, I did not feel comfortable. I did not see myself happy and able to stay away from Brazil so young."
In 2013, Neymar had reached the pinnacle of success in Brazil. He decided it was finally time to leave his hometown and challenge himself with a move to Europe. It was a battle between Madrid and Barcelona for his signature, but the decision he made was one he had his mind set on for a long time.
His manager at the time Tito Vilanova praised his transfer, calling it a decision "based on footballing reasons and not money. Neymar also explained how he wanted to play alongside the likes of Messi, Xavi and other superstars who were at the club at that time.
The mercurial Brazilian has since then sealed a world-record move to Paris Saint-Germain and continues to be linked with a return to Spain, with Real Madrid and Barcelona reportedly monitoring his situation.
1. Francesco Totti
Francesco Totti is arguably the greatest one-club footballer to have played in the modern game. One of the most skilled and talented midfielders that Italy has ever produced, Totti on many an occasion had lucrative offers to leave Roma, but he never did.
He had an interview with Sky Italia back in 2012 when he spoke about why he rejected a move to Real Madrid.
"I think I earned the contract that has been drawn up for me, because I always fought for what I have. I never thought about money, otherwise I would have left aged 26 when Real Madrid and Barcelona wanted me.”
"I would've earned double what I am picking up now. I always wanted to make my career with the Giallorossi jersey, and nobody will ever again refuse the money I did from Madrid and Barcelona. It was a choice made with the heart, and for that alone, I want some respect."
It has been a rollercoaster ride for Roma fans over the years. But they wouldn't be where they are now without him. He is the symbol of the club and has his heart set on retiring there.
Totti put on the orange of AS Roma 785 times, scoring 307 goals in the process.