Brazilian legend Ronaldo Nazario has revealed that his move to Real Madrid was a direct result of Barcelona failing to appreciate his worth.
The striker admitted he had no intention of leaving Camp Nou in 1997, but the club halted contract extension talks while he was on vacation in Brazil.
Ronaldo explained that the decision was forced upon him. He said:
It was never my call, I wanted to stay. If the club didn’t value me the way they should have, it wasn’t my decision.
Softfootball notes that after a stint at Inter Milan, he pursued a move to Madrid, influenced by teammate Roberto Carlos’s praise for the club’s stature.
Upon arriving, Ronaldo found the pressure and expectations even greater than described. He concluded:
The truth is it is a bigger club than he was telling me! There’s a big expectation every time… I loved to know that I could make Real Madrid an even bigger club.
For Ronaldo, the switch was less about rivalry and more about finding a home that matched his ambition.
