3 months ago
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Jermaine Pennant has revealed how he once turned down the chance to sign for Real Madrid during his time at Liverpool.
The winger represented 15 clubs during his playing career, including Arsenal, Leeds, and Stoke. In a career of highs and lows, perhaps his best spell came at Anfield, when he made 81 appearances under Rafael Benitez, including a 90-minute display in the 2007 Champions League final.
But Pennant could have added another elite name to his CV when Real came calling in January 2009, when he had made just three Premier League appearances in the first half of the season. Instead, the now 42-year-old ended up at Portsmouth for the remainder of the campaign before joining Real Zaragoza the following summer. It’s a decision Pennant admits he regrets.
"This is a crazy one and many people can’t believe this, but Real Madrid wanted me back in 2010," the former winger told Adventure Gamers.
"It was my last year at Liverpool, I wasn’t going to sign a new contract, and things weren’t really working out between Rafa Benitez and me.
"Madrid came in needing a right winger for their squad depth, so we had that conversation, and it was exciting, but then I asked myself if I wanted to go there and sit on the bench for three years or do I want to go somewhere to be a first-team starter and kick-start my career again?
"It was exciting, but I wasn’t keen at the time. Would I go back and change my decision? I wish I could."
Pennant’s decision to turn down Real was also recently relayed by his agent, Sky Andrew.
"Pennant was just one of those people, his dream was to go to Liverpool, and when he messed that up, there was nowhere else to go," he told talkSPORT last month.
"So I rang him and said, 'Jermaine, Liverpool have agreed a fee for you to go to Real Madrid.'"
But Andrew said Pennant wasn’t enthused by the idea of heading the Spanish capital.
"The narrative I got from the club is that they were just looking for someone to sit on the bench as a backup," he explained.
"The more I said it to Jermaine, the more he said, 'No, I’m not sitting on the bench.'
"He’s a nightmare when he’s not playing. In the end they signed someone from West Ham (Julian Faubert) who didn’t play a game in the second half of the season.
"If Jermaine had gone there and not played, it would have been a disaster."
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