Ask 100 football fans to name one of the most random transfers of all time, and Julien Faubert’s move from West Ham United to Real Madrid is likely to come up.
That’s something he’s more than aware of, as he discusses the move with Marca today and looks to clear up claims he once fell asleep on the Real Madrid bench.
Faubert joined the Spanish giants on loan from West Ham on deadline day of the January transfer window in 2009 after two years with the Hammers following a €9m move in 2007.
It was a move that few saw coming, with the full-back hardly having tore up the Premier League at that moment in time.
The move never really worked out either, as he managed just two appearances for Real Madrid totalling 54 minutes during his time there before being sent back to West Ham that summer.
Like the rest of us, he knew the move was out of the blue and he’s willing to admit that, revealing he thought the initial phone call from Spain was a joke.
“They really wanted Antonio Valencia, but he signed with Manchester United, so I was the second option,” he said.
“I didn’t have time to respond to calls. I was on their way to play a game, and I thought, to leave me alone, but when I saw the interest, I felt very proud, because it is the biggest club in the world. On the way to Upton Park to play against Fulham.
“I received a call from a person from Real Madrid (Miguel Ángel Portugal) and said: ‘Hello, I work for Real Madrid, and we have to talk to you’. I told him that I didn’t have time for that kind of garbage.
“People say it was only six months, but who says no to Real Madrid. This causes him to fulfil a child as a child, all children want to play in such a team. It was surprising.”
Instead of viral moments on the pitch, Faubert’s biggest memory from Real Madrid is a photo of him sitting on the bench, allegedly asleep.
The defender became a regular on the bench during his time at the Spanish giants and during one particularly forgettable game away to Villarreal, was snapped in a laid-back position, seemingly asleep.
The photo quickly went viral and has followed him around ever since, becoming the symbol of a move that never worked out for either party. He, though, continues to insist that all was not as it seemed in that photo.
“I didn’t fall asleep. I talked to the one who had the Real Madrid press and told me that journalists like to exaggerate,” he added.
“I just closed my eyes because I was disappointed, and they took me out like that. I didn’t care. Be the professional I am. He laughed and told me “Welcome to Madrid” you have to be attentive to those things.
“When you are in the field, put your hand when talking, you can read your lips. In England it was not so, but when you get to a great club you have to accept that these things happen, after this I laughed.”
