Arda Guler has just turned down the opportunity to join Barcelona and sign for Real Madrid. He is one of seven players who have made this decision.
Arda Guler
Arda Guler, 18, is considered one of the most exciting young players in Europe right now. Real Madrid have just announced the purchase of him from Fenerbahce on a six-year contract. It is widely reported that Los Blancos spent 50 million euros on Guler, including bonuses, as well as a huge commission that is said to have been paid to Guler’s father.
Antonio Rudiger
Antonio Rudiger has left Chelsea for Real Madrid in 2022, but he could also choose to play for Barcelona. The German international left Stamford Bridge on a free form, which attracted the attention of the Catalan side. In fact, Rudiger’s brother met with Barcelona representatives to discuss the possibility of a transfer, before the player agreed to Real Madrid.
Vinicius Junior
The Brazil international joined Los Blancos from Flamengo in 2017 for a fee of £38.7 million. Since then, he has scored 59 goals in 225 appearances, along with 64 assists. Vinicius once admitted: “I received offers from Madrid and Barca. My father told me that I had to choose, and I had to follow my heart.”
Dani Ceballos
Dani Ceballos was one of the most sought-after midfielders in Europe when he joined Real Madrid for €18 million in 2017. He made 120 appearances for the Spanish giants, scoring six goals and made 12 assists. The Spaniard also spent two years on loan at Arsenal.
In an interview, he revealed: “I was in a tug of war with Real Madrid and Barcelona. But Florentino [Perez] called me. No player has the ability to say ‘no’ to Real Madrid. ”
Mesut Ozil
In an interview in March, Arsenal icon Mesut Ozil revealed that his disappointing experience with Pep Guardiola prevented him from joining Barcelona: “I don’t know if this is known, but I visited Madrid and Barcelona at that time and what was different was Jose Mourinho. Mou gave me a VIP visit to Real Madrid. He took me to see the stadium and all the trophies they won. Yes, that gave me goose bumps. The visit to Barcelona was less enthusiastic and what was more disappointing was that Pep Guardiola didn’t bother to see me. It was conceivable to play with them, but Madrid gave it their all.”
Isco
During his 9 years with Real Madrid, he won 5 Champions League titles, 3 La Liga titles and 1 Copa Del Rey. But, he was close to leaving Los Blancos in 2017. Isco admitted that Barca contacted him before he extended his contract.
Cristiano Ronaldo
However, the biggest player Barcelona missed out on was none other than Cristiano Ronaldo.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner became the most expensive player in the world when he left Manchester United for the Bernabeu in 2009, for £84.6 million. But, he can also be a Barcelona player.
Joan Laporta revealed that Barcelona had a chance to snatch Ronaldo in 2003: “We were going to sign Ronaldinho and Rafa Marquez. Marquez’s team recommended Cristiano Ronaldo to us. He was at Sporting at the time. that point.”
“One of his agents said that they have a player that they sold to Man United for 19 million euros, but they will sell him to us for 17 million euros. But we invested. invest in Ronaldinho.”