Former Argentina forward Diego Milito has revealed he turned down an opportunity to join Tottenham Hotspur.
The 44-year-old arrived in Europe for the first time when Genoa signed him from Racing Club in 2003. He left them for Real Zaragoza in 2005 before returning to the Serie A side three years later.
Prior to his second spell at Genoa, Milito was approached by Tottenham. He talked about his decision to reject the north London club during DAZN’s Un’altra storia, relayed by TuttoMercatoWeb.
“Those weeks were very difficult because I almost had an agreement with an English team, the president of Real Zaragoza had closed but I wasn’t happy. I don’t know why. It was Tottenham who wanted me and Ardiles, Julio Ricardo Villa, also liked me,” he said.
The South American has further explained that a call from Genoa president Enrico Preziosi convinced him to pick them over the Premier League side.
“The day before Preziosi called me and my wife told me that my face had changed. I felt that I had to return to Genoa. I have always chosen with my heart and for this reason I told myself that I had to return,” Milito explained.
“There was one day left until the end of the market. I called the president of Zaragoza and told him that I wanted to go to Genoa, because I knew the city and the club.”
Milito’s decision to reject Tottenham for Genoa paid off because it helped him get a move to Inter Milan in 2009.
He was an integral part of the Nerazzurri’s treble winning squad in the 2009/10 season, where he scored a brace in the Champions League final win over Bayern Munich.
