Costa Rican midfielder Bryan Ruiz was wrong to join Fulham but accepted the switch just to get out of FC Twente.
That’s according to Dutch midfielder Wout Brama, who believes Fulham were simply not the right fit for the playmaker.
Ruiz joined Fulham in a €12m deal from Twente at the end of the transfer window in 2011, signing for €12m after a two-year spell with the Dutch side.
He had been the star man for them during that time, scoring 44 goals and registering 24 assists in 97 games.
Those were numbers he was unable to replicate at Fulham where, despite brief glimpses of his quality, he was only able to manage 12 goals and 24 assists in 107 games.
He eventually left for Sporting in a €1.32m deal in 2015 and has since turned out for Santos in Brazil and LD Alajuelense in his homeland.
He’s set to retire in January and that’s led to a look back at his career, with Brama labelling the move to Fulham as unlucky.
“It was a bad fit at the other clubs too, I think,” he told ESPN’s ‘Signing Bryan Ruiz’, relayed by Twente Fans.
“He went down to Fulham in the last minute. I don’t think that was such a lucky choice. I think he had also hoped for more than a club like Fulham.
“But he had kind of set his sights on leaving here because he had basically been taught out. I understood that very well.
“But I think a lot of clubs, especially the bigger clubs, still doubted his speed and power.”
