Chelsea legend Ashley Cole has disclosed that his marriage prevented him from joining Real Madrid.
The former England international moved to Stamford Bridge in September 2006 in a £5million swap deal with William Gallas, who went north to join Arsenal.
Speaking with Stick to Football this week, Cole stated that his transfer situation changed entirely after he got married.
“I felt a bit underappreciated and undervalued. So that’s where my head and heart was at. I was like, ‘You’ve taken my love away’ and it didn’t need to be like that.
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“From what I was told and heard, I was going to Real Madrid. I was having conversations with agents because at that point I could pre-sign for a team abroad. So, it was Madrid and kind of Barcelona. I don’t know how deep it was.” But personal developments changed his priorities.
“Things changed, I got married, and didn’t actually want to leave the country in the end. Then, around a year and a half later, I remember sitting in my box with my agent and him calling me outside and going, ‘You’re never going to believe who this is, it’s Chelsea.’ So I was like, okay!”
Cole won the Premier League, four FA Cups, the Champions League and Europa League during an eight-year spell in which he made 337 appearances in a move that he will not regret.
