Sergio Gómez left Manchester City and completed a move to Real Sociedad in the summer window.
The left-back arrived at Manchester City from Anderlecht in 2022, a year after joining the Jupiler Pro League side.
On Thursday, La Real will take on Anderlecht in the Europa League. Gazet van Antwerpen had a chat with the 24-year-old about his time in Belgium and move to Manchester City.
The left-back starred at Anderlecht, managing seven goals and 15 assists from 50 games in all competitions. This convinced Pep Guardiola and his side to secure his services.
Anderlecht were initially reluctant to let the Spaniard leave. The newspaper states he was begging with CEO Peter Verbeke, ‘almost with tears in his eyes’, to sanction a move to the Etihad.
Responding to that, he said: “That’s true. Logical, right? As a young, ambitious footballer you want to play in the Premier League. And it wasn’t mid-range, was it? It was champion Manchester City who also played in the Champions League. The best team in the world.
“For a very nice transfer fee. I know that Peter really made an effort to let me go. I will never forget that.”
The fullback’s sale to Manchester City saw Anderlecht block Francis Amuzu’s move to OGC Nice for €9m. Gómez states he hasn’t yet apologised to his former teammate.
Gómez is represented by Guardiola’s brother, Pere. The newspaper asked if he ended up at Manchester City on sporting merits or because of his agent.
“I know that coach Pep Guardiola really wanted me in his core at the time. It’s hard to say how he discovered me. Possibly his brother said to him: ‘Look at that guy who plays well with Vincent Kompany in Belgium’, but I still had to convince him,” Gómez explained.
The defender won the treble in his first season with the Citizens. He played 38 matches during his two-year spell at Manchester City.
