"I should have gone to Real Madrid but they brought Casemiro back” - Ex-Barcelona midfielder reveals how close he came to joining rivals

Former Bayern Munich and Barcelona midfielder Arturo Vidal has revealed that he was close to completing a switch to Real Madrid at one point in his career. The Chilean icon was one of the finest midfield enforcers in Europe and could have added the Spanish giants to his glittering CV.

Vidal made a name for himself playing for several clubs in Europe, beginning with Bayer Leverkusen and Juventus, before returning to Germany with Bayern Munich. After his spell in Germany, he joined Spanish giants Barcelona but could have as well been a Real Madrid player before then.

Arturo Vidal revealed in an interview reported by X user @theMadridZone that he was once on the radar of Los Blancos. However, the club made the decision to bring back Casemiro from his loan spell at FC Porto, ending talks of signing him. Vidal said:

"I was close to Real Madrid. I should have gone to Real Madrid, but they brought Casemiro back. People who go to Madrid, win everything."

Casemiro joined Los Blancos' Castilla team, initially on loan, in 2013 before joining permanently shortly afterwards. The Brazilian midfielder moved to FC Porto in 2014 on an initial loan deal which was made permanent before the Spanish giants activated his buy-back clause in 2015.

In 2015, Vidal had just helped Juventus reach the final of the UEFA Champions League and was shortlisted among the best 10 players for the 'UEFA Men's Player of the Year' award.

Real Madrid set to make midfield veteran new captain - Reports

Real Madrid are prepared to hand the captain's armband to experienced midfielder Luka Modric for the 2024-25 season, as per Spanish journalist Miguel Angel Diaz. The Croatian will be the new club captain following the decision of Nacho Fernandez to move to Saudi outfit Al-Qadsiah, ending his 23-year stay at the club.

Croatia captain Modric has been at the Santiago Bernabeu for 12 years and has been in the first team the longest among the players still at the club. The 38-year-old will be assisted by a leadership group consisting of Dani Carvajal and Lucas Vazquez, with Federico Valverde, Thibaut Courtois and Vinicius Jr.

Modric is at the final stage of his professional career as he will turn 39 at the start of the 2024-25 season. Already a club icon, he is the oldest outfield player to make an appearance for the club. The midfielder has scored 39 goals and provided 86 assists in 534 appearances across competitions.