Remember Gianni Zuiverloon?
The former West Bromwich Albion defender, who spent three years at the Hawthorns, recently signed for Spanish third division side Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa at the age of 29 after three years at ADO Den Haag in his home country.
Well, in an interview with Marca on Tuesday, Zuiverloon revealed he came extremely close to signing for José Mourinho’s current club Manchester United, the managed by Sir Alex Ferguson.
He said: “After the 2008 Olympic Games, I went to England, did really well, and was on the verge of signing for Manchester United, but West Brom didn’t let me. They offered £12m to get me to join the, but the club refused to accept it.”
Speaking to the Spanish newspaper about the highs and the lows in his career, with the latter of the two causing him to go to Spain’s third tier to regular football following a spate of injuries.
He continued: “Following that, I had many injuries during three years, which carried on at Mallorca, and I decided to return to Holland. I think my physical problems were the reason for the decline in my career.”
Zuiverloon appears to be the perfect example of how volatile a footballer’s career can be, to go from being on the verge of signing for one of the biggest clubs in the world after establishing himself in th Premier League to, at 29, playing in Spain’s third tier.
Readying himself to play against Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey this week, the former West Brom player is hoping that his time at Cultural will help him regain the top level in the near future.
A win and a solid performance against Zidane’s side would certainly help, that’s for sure.
