Mario Gomez explains why he turned down Real Madrid and Atletico
Mario Gomez explains why he chose to turn down Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid to join Fiorentina previously in his career.
VfB Stuttgart striker Mario Gomez has revealed he had the chance to join Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid earlier in his career.
Gomez explains that both the Spanish capital clubs were interested in him back in 2013 when he played for Bayern München. But he opted for a move to Fiorentina instead.
"At the time, I relatively quickly made the decision to join Fiorentina. However, my agent, Uli Ferber, kept telling me that the Spanish top clubs Real and Atlético Madrid also asked about me. Two days before the end of the pre season training camp with Bayern, he asked me if he should really say no to them," Gomez told Sport Bild and added:
"From a sporting point of view, that may not be understandable to many people. But Fiorentina showed me exactly which way they wanted to go. With a high-quality team and a new stadium, they wanted to compete with Juventus in the long run."
"After four years at Bayern München, the thought of being in the position as the hunters attracted me and ultimately made me want to make the move," Gomez explained.
Gomez played for Fiorentina from 2013 until 2015 when he joined Besiktas on loan. After the 2015/16 season, he completed a switch to Wolfsburg. He stayed there until January 2018 when he moved to Stuttgart.