Brazil legend, Ronaldo Nazario, has revealed why he left Barcelona in 1997.
Ronaldo, who ended up at Real Madrid, said that Barcelona did not value him.
He said this while reflecting on his exit from Barcelona early in his career.
The former Brazil international and World Cup winner is among the few players who have represented Real and La Blaugrana during their careers.
The two-time World Cup winner spoke in an interview with DAZN as he explained why he left the Catalan side for Los Blancos.
“I was about to sign my contract extension after the end of the season and then went to Brazil on vacation.
“Then they called me five days later to tell me that the extension couldn’t happen. 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. I would’ve loved to stay, but as I say, it wasn’t my call.
“I joined Madrid because I just wanted to play there. My dream was to play for Madrid one day and I fought hard so that it could happen.
“Roberto Carlos was with me in the national team and he was always telling me what Real Madrid meant for everyone.
“That left a very good impression and after some years I wanted to see it with my own eyes.
“The truth is it is a bigger club than he was telling me! There’s a big expectation every time and also a lot of pressure because we always have the world’s best players. I loved to know that I could make Real Madrid an even bigger club,” he said.
Ronaldo played 49 games for Barcelona, scoring 47 times and providing 13 assists.
He went on to play 177 games for Real Madrid scoring 103 times and providing 34 assists.