Emerson has revealed he turned down an offer from Real Madrid in order to stay with Juventus.
“Last year, I received a proposal from Real, but was happy at Juve and saw no reason to end my contract there,” he explained to Brazilian newspaper ‘Terra Esportes.’
“When a player stays at a club for a long time, he gets better with age. It’s never an easy thing to change your environment and work colleagues, while you must repay the affection shown by the side. If a player is treated well, then there’s no reason to leave just because he can receive a slightly higher wage deal. Contracts should be respected.”
It was well known that the midfielder has been a transfer target for both the Spaniards and Chelsea over the past few seasons, but chose to face accusations of being a traitor when he made the controversial move from Roma to their bitter rivals.
“It was a very difficult time. The people couldn’t understand why a player would ever want to leave the Giallorossi. In our last match against Roma, the fans jeered every time I touched the ball, but I consider that normal enough behaviour. At least they’re criticising the switch and not my style of play. After all, I didn’t leave on a free transfer, so the club profited from my sale.”
Juventus have certainly benefited from the move, as Emerson has brought stability to the midfield and is on track for his second Scudetto in as many seasons.
“The secret to our success is signing great players and that made the entire team stronger. Last year we won the title in tough circumstances, but this term we really started well and set up a comfortable advantage.”
The Bianconeri have a nine-point lead over second-placed Inter, who they face at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on Sunday evening.
(source Football Italia).
I bet he does'nt regret that decision, as Real Madrid lost 6-1 recently !!!!!!!!!!