Saul Niguez reveals he was on verge of joining Fulham – now Atletico Madrid star is rated at £100million
SAUL NIGUEZ will line up for Atletico Madrid against Chelsea tonight regarded as one of the best midfielders in Europe - but he could have been playing for Fulham.
Niguez is the heartbeat of the Atletico side who are hoping to finally win the Champions League this season having twice been beaten in the final.
The 22-year-old Spanish international signed a new NINE-YEAR deal with Atleti in the summer to keep him out of the hands of the giants of world football who value him at £100million.
But Niguez has revealed things could have turned out so differently had he got his wish and moved to Craven Cottage seven years ago.
Niguez said: “Fulham wanted me when I was 15, playing in Atletico’s youth team, not always in my position.
"Mark Hughes was manager and I was close. It was a chance to play in the Premier League at 16.
"The plan was train for three months, then play. I was prepared to make that leap, ready, but things happened the way they happened and now I’m glad I stayed.
"Although it maybe took longer, I’m where I am today.”
Most read in football
Niguez has started the season back to his influential best after two years being dogged by a kidney problem which left him pleading with specialists to remove it.
He developed problems after taking a kick to the stomach during a match, had an internal catheter fitted and spent much of the past two seasons playing in pain, regularly urinating blood.
Only the intervention of former Atleti keeper Mono Burgos made him realise he had to take a step back and put his health before football.
Niguez, speaking to the Guardian, added: “The catheter gives you functionality but it was sore, you’d feel it running, and I was urinating blood.
"Maybe some would say: ‘That’s it,’ but no. The problem was when we took it out, my kidney didn’t work properly.
"I was given options - play for a month, stop for a month ... I said: ‘No, no, that’s no good. Put the catheter back in, I can function'.
“I was tired of it all and I said: ‘Doc, just take the kidney out. Take it out. I’ll be out for a month, but then I’ll be back again.
"The doctor was saying: ‘I’m not taking your kidney out, try this, try that.’ I said: ‘Yeah, I’ll try things but if they don’t work, then what? More of the same?
"No. I just want to get back to playing well, feeling well. Forget it all. Be normal. Play football. I can’t be worrying about getting a knock. I just want to play. Take it out."
🏆Latest Champions League odds🏆
“Mono Burgos was so important. He came to me: ‘The doctor says you’re talking about taking out your kidney. You’re 22, what are you talking about? Use your head'.
"I was just thinking about football: take this out and play. I thought: lose a kidney, it’s fine, I’ve got another one.
"But Mono looked me in the eye: ‘Saúl, think about your life.’ I saw. The seriousness, the future.
"What if you get a problem with the other one? There’s no way out. And we put the catheter back in.”
The summer transfer window was one the craziest we have ever seen.
Take a look at the most profitable transfers of ALL time.
And here are the Premier League players whose wages made them the most expensive per minute played.