Middlesbrough legend Juninho Paulista has once again been interviewed by ESPN Brasil.
The former midfielder, who’s already recalled his spell at the club a few times, this time talked about rejecting offers from Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.
He says it happened at the end of his first spell at Middlesbrough, before making his move to Atletico Madrid in 1999. That’s when some English sides tried to keep him in the Premier League.
“At that time, before I went to Atletico Madrid, Liverpool and Tottenham showed up. But then the negotiation with Atletico Madrid was already well advanced. So I did not back down and continued the negotiation. Analysing today, I would have stayed in the Premier League,” Juninho Paulista told ESPN Brasil.
“Liverpool were not what they are today, but were going through a transition phase. Not Tottenham either, but they were two giant teams. I think that for my performances, I shouldn’t have left England. But they are decisions that we make without knowing the future. But in no way do I regret having played for Atletico Madrid, because those were wonderful years.”
On signing for Middlesbrough back in 1995, Juninho said: “I was one of the pioneers after Mirandinha. It was a gamble. I believed in the team’s project and I got on well. One thing was the game in my time, very different from today, but I adapted very well.
“When I saw their football, I was scared because they had many direct passes from the defence to the attack. So I could find a lot of space, it was amazing. Often, in the first ten minutes, I would not catch the ball. It was just kick and run. But then, as the game settled, spaces began to emerge.”
The former player claims that back at the time, he already knew how big the Premier League was, but it didn’t have much popularity because of the lack of TV broadcasting in South America.
“Back then, you could feel that it was one of the best leagues in the world. The market started opening and having more South Americans and now it is like this. But at that time, there weren’t many English games broadcasted as there are today.”
Juninho also recalled the League Cup he won for the club in the 2003-04 season, when Boro beat Bolton 2-1 in the final.
“To this day, they talk a lot about this title. I went there to succeed in the team, to win titles and to take part in European competitions. We went to put the club on a higher level and an achievement did it. That crowned us.”
