Zenit St Petersburg midfielder Axel Witsel has revealed that he was close to joining Real Madrid before he moved to Russia.
The Belgian international joined Zenit from Benfica for a transfer fee of around €40m in the summer of 2012 and has established himself one of the key members of their squad.
The midfielder has been linked with a move to different European clubs over the last few years but he has stayed put in Russia, where he has developed himself as one of the top performers in the league.
However, Witsel revealed that he had the chance to join Real Madrid when he was at Benfica but the move failed to go through for multiple reasons.
But the midfielder is confident that age is still on his side and indicated that he might still move to a top European club in the future from Zenit.
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“When I was at Benfica I had the chance to go to Real Madrid, though it didn’t come about for various reasons”, the Belgian told FIFA.
“I wasn’t down about it for very long though, and I turned the page quickly. I’m 26, I’m still young and I’m a pretty patient kind of person.
“Even so, it was Real Madrid we’re talking about here, and when the idea was put to me I did picture a few things in my mind.”
The 26-year-old has made 106 appearances for Zenit and has earned 56 caps for the Belgian national team.
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