Arjen Robben has revealed why he snubbed
Manchester United in favour of
Chelsea despite enjoying a candlelit dinner with Sir Alex Ferguson . The 40-year-old, who announced his retirement from
Football for a second time in July 2021, joined the Blues from PSV Eindhoven in July 2004 in a deal worth £12million. Robben featured 106 times for Chelsea, scoring 19 goals and providing 21 assists, and helped
Jose Mourinho get his hands on back-to-back
Premier League titles, two League Cups and an FA Cup . His impressive performances in the English top flight eventually courted the interest of
Real Madrid, who forked out £24m for his signature. After a couple of years in the Spanish capital, winning the Supercopa de España, Robben signed for Bayern Munich – where he quickly established himself as one of the greatest wingers of all time. The former Netherlands international appeared over 300 times for the German giants, collecting seven Bundesliga titles, five DFB-Pokals, four DFL-Supercups, a UEFA Super Cup and, of course, a
Champions League winners' medal. READ MORE: Manchester United confirm new date for Premier League fixture vs Sheffield United READ MORE: Erik ten Hag's most important Manchester United player is about to return from injury Robben etched himself into the history books, but it could have been all so different had the Dutchman joined Manchester United instead of Chelsea. In an interview with FourFourTwo in 2018, he explained why a move to Old Trafford collapsed. "I had a very good conversation with him (Sir Alex Ferguson) over dinner in Manchester and we spoke about football and life," said Robben. "I also went and had a good look around the training ground and everything was good, but after I went back to PSV nothing happened. " There was no real contact and the deal didn't happen. PSV were also negotiating with Chelsea at that time, so maybe they offered PSV more money? I don't really know. I spoke to Chelsea and I liked their plans "We had one meeting and everything was done pretty quickly. Had Manchester United offered me a deal straight after I met them, I would have signed there, but it didn't happen and I have got no regrets." While the Red Devils certainly missed out on a gem, they signed a diamond instead. In the summer of 2004, Manchester United signed Wayne Rooney from Everton. Now that's not bad back-up option at all... Try MUFC Pro NOW for free Subscribe to our brilliant app for the best way to enjoy the M.E.N's unrivalled Manchester United coverage. No adverts, pop-ups or distractions - just our brilliant content presented in the best way possible. Comprehensive, round-the-clock coverage of the Reds, with agenda-setting
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