Former Manchester United forward Carlos Tevez has revealed that his controversial switch to cross-town rivals Manchester City was motivated by a broken promise from Sir Alex Ferguson.
City move
Tevez sealed a rare and controversial move from United to City in the summer of 2009.
He spent an incredibly successful two-year loan spell at United, having joined the club from West Ham United. The Argentinian was a cult hero at the Red Devils, scoring 34 goals in 99 appearances.
| Stat | 2013/14 | 2009/10 to 2012/13 | 2007/08 to 2008/09 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Juventus FC | Manchester City | Manchester United |
| Seasons | 2013/14 | 2009/10 to 2012/13 | 2007/08 to 2008/09 |
| Apps | 48 | 147 | 97 |
| Minutes | 3709 | 10918 | 6796 |
| Goals | 21 | 73 | 34 |
| Assists | 10 | 33 | 14 |
| Goals per game | 0.44 | 0.50 | 0.35 |
| Assists per game | 0.21 | 0.22 | 0.14 |
Together with Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, Tevez forged one of the most fearsome attacking triumvirates the game has known. Tevez won six trophies at Manchester United, including two Premier League titles, the Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup.
Real Madrid were keen on signing Tevez, but he opted to move to City in a deal worth £47 million. He spent four years at the Etihad. A third Premier League title followed for Tevez, who marked the 2012 celebrations by holding a banner emblazoned with ‘RIP Fergie.’
Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Tevez disclosed that he chose Manchester City as revenge against Sir Alex Ferguson.
Tevez’s revelation
He told Ferdinand, “Look, I feel like I left a lot, uh, at both teams. But if you make me choose, let’s say, uh, I had a great time at United. The other team, uh, City, for me, was like a revenge for for, how can I put it, uh, I didn’t get back what I gave.”
“They spoke to me. The two year… How do you say «en préstamo»? ‘Loan’ After, if you play well, pay the contract after one year. Fergie told me, ‘Carlos, I’m going to pay out your contract and you’re going to stay in Manchester’. The team went to a pre-season in Los Angeles.”
“I remember this conversation with Fergie. He said ‘I’m going to pay for Berbatov but don’t worry, I’m going to buy you the thing and we’ll do your contract.'”
“For me, the Man United fans understand. You remember in the game the fans speaking to Ferguson. ‘Fergie sign him. Sign him up, sign him up.'”
Tevez continued, “For me it was… It was hard Rio. It was hard because I felt like I’d given my heart to United. And I didn’t feel the same. I didn’t feel the same because, uh, if you remember, we won the Champions League.”
“We won the league and, and then, to bring down my price, they brought in a player and I carried on the same way for the first months. The second months, let’s say, of the second year. But by the second, the second month, I didn’t want to know any more.”
“I think that Ferguson had, from the day we talked in Los Angeles up to six months to keep his word. And he didn’t. On the contrary, he started leaving me on the bench. In my head. He started pushing me aside so he could bring down what I was worth. And that’s what hurt me the most.”
Meanwhile, United are next in action on Saturday when they face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Featured image by Anthony Devlin via Getty Images
