After keeping fans, reporters and officials guessing for months, although with increasingly less uncertainty in recent weeks, Willy Sagnol has officially announced his acceptance of a new deal keeping the crowd favourite at Bayern until 2010.
The worst-kept secret at the club effectively leaked out at the start of the Dubai training camp when general manager Uli Hoeneß told reporters he had an agreement with the player, but Sagnol remained tight-lipped until Monday, shortly after the Munich party returned home.
"It was a difficult decision. I spent a long time thinking about it," the right-back declared. The first meeting between Hoeneß and the player took place last summer in France, and the board director had formally sat down with Sagnol on three further occasions since then. "My relationship with Uli Hoeneß and the fans was a vital factor in my decision," Willy announced. The Bayern faithful have become even more frenetic in their adoration as the months of uncertainty rolled by.
Juventus in the hunt
Sagnol was not short of lucrative offers from other big-name clubs. "You don't just ignore it when a club like Juventus say they're interested," the France star reported. His international team-mates at the serial Italian champions had tried hard to persuade him to join them, he revealed. "But I've been here nearly six years, and I'll soon be 29. It's not easy to start a new career in a new country." Willy switched to Munich from Monaco in 2000.
"I feel a little like I'm at home in Munich," he added. "I have a number of friends here at Bayern. That was also important." That circle of friends includes fellow-countrymen Bixente Lizarazu and Valerien Ismaël, who were consulted along with his family before the final choice. "But it's my career, so the decision was ultimately mine," Sagnol insisted.
Announcement in France before Germany
He had made a final choice "a long time ago", he remarked, adding an explanation as to his continued silence even after Hoeneß had effectively lifted the lid on the new agreement. "I'm French, and I wanted to announce my decision in my home country first," he explained. The 28-year-old gave an interview to a trusted journalist which was broadcast on French TV last Sunday.
Sagnol finally brought the protracted speculation over his future to an end in Germany on Monday. It came as no surprise when he opened with the words: "I'm staying here until 2010." But a character like Sagnol would not be who he is if he had not added a flourish. "I want to end my career in Munich," he declared. "I believe the future at Bayern could be very interesting. Staying here is the best thing I can do for my career."
The worst-kept secret at the club effectively leaked out at the start of the Dubai training camp when general manager Uli Hoeneß told reporters he had an agreement with the player, but Sagnol remained tight-lipped until Monday, shortly after the Munich party returned home.
"It was a difficult decision. I spent a long time thinking about it," the right-back declared. The first meeting between Hoeneß and the player took place last summer in France, and the board director had formally sat down with Sagnol on three further occasions since then. "My relationship with Uli Hoeneß and the fans was a vital factor in my decision," Willy announced. The Bayern faithful have become even more frenetic in their adoration as the months of uncertainty rolled by.
Juventus in the hunt
Sagnol was not short of lucrative offers from other big-name clubs. "You don't just ignore it when a club like Juventus say they're interested," the France star reported. His international team-mates at the serial Italian champions had tried hard to persuade him to join them, he revealed. "But I've been here nearly six years, and I'll soon be 29. It's not easy to start a new career in a new country." Willy switched to Munich from Monaco in 2000.
"I feel a little like I'm at home in Munich," he added. "I have a number of friends here at Bayern. That was also important." That circle of friends includes fellow-countrymen Bixente Lizarazu and Valerien Ismaël, who were consulted along with his family before the final choice. "But it's my career, so the decision was ultimately mine," Sagnol insisted.
Announcement in France before Germany
He had made a final choice "a long time ago", he remarked, adding an explanation as to his continued silence even after Hoeneß had effectively lifted the lid on the new agreement. "I'm French, and I wanted to announce my decision in my home country first," he explained. The 28-year-old gave an interview to a trusted journalist which was broadcast on French TV last Sunday.
Sagnol finally brought the protracted speculation over his future to an end in Germany on Monday. It came as no surprise when he opened with the words: "I'm staying here until 2010." But a character like Sagnol would not be who he is if he had not added a flourish. "I want to end my career in Munich," he declared. "I believe the future at Bayern could be very interesting. Staying here is the best thing I can do for my career."
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