The Fans Football Blog3

Speaking at an Arsenal members' 'Questions and Answers' session at the club's Emirates Stadium, Arsenal midfielder and Spanish international Cesc Fàbregas (22) told what it was like to leave Barcelona and join Arsenal:

"I was very young and was still playing for the Barcelona youth team. Arsène Wenger had never been to see me play, but after I signed, Arsenal's Spanish scout told me that they had come to see me 44 times.

When I came to talk with Arsenal aged 16, Arsène was the one who came to see me. He had cut his holiday to come to speak with me, and at 16 it had a big impact on my decision."

Read more:
Arsenal willing to sell Cesc
Mascherano or Cesc

Catalan sports paper Sport reports that Barcelona player Rafael Márquez (30) was close to joining Real Madrid in the summer of 2002.

Márquez confirmed the story to the paper: "I was very, but really very close to moving to Real Madrid, can you imagine that? It didn't happen and thanks to God I'm still here." One year later, Márquez joined Barcelona.

The player's agent Enrique Nieto explained why the transfer didn't go through in the end: "The truth is that it didn't happen because they had tactical doubts. They couldn't decide on the question if Rafa was better as central defender or as defensive midfielder and the deal was was cancelled. That's how life can go..."

The paper also reports, based upon statement of the agent, that Real Madrid and Barcelona were already interested in Márquez when he was still playing in Mexico. The two clubs were following the player and drew up scouting reports but none of them took the decision of signing him. Márquez in the end signed with French league club Monaco in the summer of 1999.

Read more:
Transfer history: Harry Kewell (Leeds)
Transfer history: Iniesta had deal with Madrid
Transfer history: Cristian Karembeu (Sampdoria)

Galatasaray attacker Harry Kewell (30) has said in an interview with his club's official television channel that he rejected the chance to move to Barcelona in the summer of 2003, when he was playing for Leeds and Frank Rijkaard was appointed as new Barcelona coach:

"While he was at Barcelona, Rijkaard asked me to transfer there. It would have been a great event to play for Barcelona and to be part of that team. But I preferred Liverpool. I've rejected many bids to stay at Liverpool. It was my decision."

Read more:
Transfer history: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus)
Which players are on Guardiola's list?
Transfer history: Cristian Karembeu (Sampdoria)


Watch a video of Kewell here:

Catalan sports paper Sport reports that former Real Madrid presidential candidate Juan Palacios claims that he had a deal with Barcelona attacker and Spanish international Andrés Iniesta (25) to join Real Madrid if he would win the elections of 2006.

Palacios lost from former Real Madrid president Ramón Calderón with around 250 votes but could have been declared the winner if the votes by postal mail would have been counted.

Read more:
Transfer history: Cristian Karembeu (Sampdoria)
Next Madrid president keeps pushing for Iniesta
Transfer history: Xavi was close to Milan

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has said at a press conference that Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink (52) was one of the candidates to become the new Barcelona head coach in the summer of 2003:

"I've always liked Guus Hiddink for his attitude and his way of being. I remember that, when he was the manager of Valencia, he ordered to withdraw a nazi flag with a swastika sign from the stands.

It's a coach of the Dutch school and a lover of total football. We've always liked him. When we were negotiating with Rijkaard, Hiddink was coaching the national team of South Corea (note: this is not correct, he was the manager of PSV Eindhoven in 2003) and he was one of our options if Rijkaard would have said no."

Catalan sports paper Sport nevertheless claims that Hiddink was actually the preferred option of the new board that came to power after the elections of 2003. Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristain and then Barcelona sports vice-president Sandro Rosell would have met twice with Hiddink but the Dutchman asked a too high salary. And with Ajax asking a fee to let Ronald Koeman go, it was in the end Frank Rijkaard who was appointed as new Barcelona manager.

Hiddink, who had joined PSV in 2002, stayed with the Dutch club until the summer of 2006, combining the job during his last season with coaching the Australian national team. After the World Cup in Germany, Hiddink became the coach of the Russian national team.

Read more:
Transfer history: Ferguson (Manchester United)
Chelsea will try to sign Alves this summer
Transfer history: Cristian Karembeu (Sampdoria)

Former French football player Cristian Karembeu (38) talked in an interview with Spanish sports paper Don Balón about the fight for his services between Barcelona and Real Madrid before he joined the latter in December 1997:

"The fight between Real Madrid and Barcelona to sign me was total madness. It was the first time that two big clubs wanted to sign me and at that time I wasn't aware of the impact of the whole matter. I only thought about playing football and nothing else.

I had played the European championships in 1996 and I wanted to continue in that line. That fight put a little brake on my career since Sampdoria, my club at the time, excluded me from the squad and I went through a bad time.

Would I have preferred to join Barcelona? Let’s see, at that time the possibilities were playing for Barca or playing for Real Madrid. I chose Barça, I’m sorry: Madrid, but I had a lot of respect for Barcelona's executives when they came to see me. Barcelona is a great club and now they look strong and victorious. Everyone wants to play at Barça, a club that – by its culture – likes to offer good football to the people."

Read more:
Transfer history: Denilson (Palmeiras)
Transfer history: Enzo Francescoli
Transfer history: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus)

Asked about why he never left his club, AC Milan midfielder and Italian international Andrea Pirlo (29) has said in an interview with Italian television channel Sky that he always preferred to stay despite interest from teams like Barcelona (read more here) and Chelsea:

"Yes, there has always been the possibility to move to another team, but I preferred to stay here because I think that Milan is one of the most important clubs in the world and that I have here the chance to win something every year."

Read more:
Pirlo rejects Barcelona offer
Transfer history: Xavi was close to Milan
Agent Ronaldinho doesn't exclude Barcelona return
Transfer history: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus)

Asked about the rumours linking Juventus forward David Trezeguet (31) with a summer exit, the player's agent Antonio Caliendo has said in an interview with Italian radio station Radio Kiss Kiss that he's convinced that Barcelona will again try to sign the French striker this summer:

"There is a lot of interest for him from England and Spain. It's the same as the last four or five years, we have lived the same situation during every transfer period. But in the end, Juventus has always managed to convince the player to stay.

Barcelona had in fact already kind of bought him three years ago but then Capello intervened and vetoed the move, which lead Juve to put pressure on the player, also through his family. Barcelona is certainly still interested in Trezeguet and has the intention to sign him. I think that they will try again this summer and that they could move soon. In one month, we can expect some news in that perspective."

In an interview with French sports paper L'Equipe, Caliendo repeated that Barcelona could be interested but that Trezeguet is now only concentrating on his club: "Over the last weeks I have received phone calls from English and Spanish clubs for David. But I've replied to them that David is at this moment focused on Juve and the Italian league."

Read more:
Guardiola called Trezeguet this summer
Thinking about Eto'o-Trezeguet swap
Deal with Trezeguet


Watch a video of Trezeguet here:

Juventus goalkeeper and Italian international Gianluigi Buffon (31) has said in an interview with Italian televison channel Sky that when he left Parma in 2001, he was close to joining Barcelona:

"I chose Juve because my agent, Silvano Martina, and my father advised me to do that. Back then, I had to choose between Roma, Barcelona and Juve.

At the start my friendship with Totti and Vito Scala [Roma physical coach] made me prefer Roma, where Capello had just arrived and he seemed to start an era of an invincible team. I remember that Silvano and my father went there to talk with president Sensi but Roma took a step back and in the end they preferred to sign Pellizzoli, whom they could get for a lower transfer fee but who was at that time one of the most promising goalkeepers.

With Barcelona we had serious negotiations but right when Silvano Martina was going to Spain to close the deal, Moggi [Juventus general director at the time] called him and the Agnelli family got involved. I had a great desire to win an Italian league and my father told me that Juve hadn't won the title for five years but that they would again win it in the next two years. In the end I followed his advice and it has been a good choice."

Read more:
Transfer history: Xavi was close to Milan
Transfer history: Denilson (Palmeiras)
Transfer history: Francescoli

Barcelona attacking midfielder and Spanish international Xavi (28) has revealed in an interview with Catalan radio station Catalunya Ràdio that he was close to joining AC Milan one decade ago:

"After winning the under-20 World Cup in 1999, I was staying with the under-21 national team and I remember I signed authorizations for my agent and my father to negotiate with Milan.

We talked with Milan chief executive Adriano Galliani and he offered me twice the salary I earned at Barça. He told me about the team they were building, that I would be a fixed starter...

But my family, and especially my mother who was the one who was most against me leaving, was decisive in my final decision to stay. Of course, it was also my dream to triumph at Barça one day."

Read more:
Transfer history: Ferguson (Manchester United)
Xavi is top target for Manchester United
Transfer history: Denilson (Palmeiras)

In an interview with Spanish football weekly paper Don Balón, Palmeiras left winger and former Brazilian international Denilson (31), who played for Betis Sevilla from 1998 until 2005, has said that he was very close to sign for Barcelona in 1998:

"When I was playing for São Paulo, one day I went to sleep thinking that I would join Barcelona and when I woke up the next day I was a Betis player.

The first official proposal I received came from Barcelona. The negotiations were almost finalized. The two presidents had reached an agreement and informed me about it. Everything was agreed upon but in the end the deal was cancelled because of a little detail, I think they couldn't agree on who should pay the taxes on the transfer operation.

Almost immediately after, Betis appeared with a proposal that São Paulo couldn't refuse. It was also for me a financially very interesting offer and I decided to accept it."

Read more:
Transfer history: Ferguson (Manchester United)
Transfer history: Francescoli
Transfer history: Iaquinta (Juventus)