Rafinha reveals he could have joined Leverkusen in the past
Rafinha wanted to leave Bayern München to join Bayer Leverkusen in 2018, but Niko Kovac convinced him to stay for another season.
Rafinha claims Bayer Leverkusen wanted to sign him from Bayern München ahead of the 2018/19 season.
However, he was convinced to stay at Allianz Arena by Niko Kovac, who had just taken over as the club's coach at the time.
"It was a difficult phase for me under Niko Kovac. I asked for permission to leave before the 2018/19 season, because I had an offer from Bayer Leverkusen. He said, 'No, please stay, I need you'. But I didn't get to play much in the second half of the season," Rafinha told Sport Bild.
"I have respect for Kovac, but I tell you: If it had been different, we could all still have been there: Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery, James [Rodriguez], Mats Hummels, Renato Sanches and me. That wouldn't have been unlikely," he added.
The 34-year-old left Bayern to join Flamengo last summer.