Former Premier League striker Carlos Tevez has revealed why he left Manchester United for fierce rivals Manchester City in 2009. Furthermore, the forward also said that Sir Alex Ferguson told him that the Red Devils were ready to sign him, but no contract offer came.
Tevez enjoyed seven years in England’s top flight between 2006 and 2013, turning out for both Manchester clubs and West Ham United, scoring 84 Premier League goals in total and winning three titles before departing for Italy.
His initial switch from Upton Park to Old Trafford caused a stir due to ownership confusion but Tevez’s next move to the Etihad grabbed just as many headlines as the Argentina international swapped United for their most bitter rivals.
And the 32-year-old, now back playing at Boca Juniors where he started his career, has revealed that he joined City because former Red Devils manager Sir Alex Ferguson gave him false assurances.
“Nothing happened with [Sir Alex] Ferguson, it was a normal relationship,” he told Marca. “I went on loan to Manchester United for two seasons, and in the last year, Ferguson tells me they will pay the fee to keep me.
“We reached the Champions League final in Rome, and I had no contract on the table. Then I went to City and they complained, but I had no offer to sign for United, and I was free to leave.”
Tevez would go on to score 23 goals in his debut season in the blue half of Manchester and helped the Citizens lift their first ever Premier League trophy in 2011/12.
He was rewarded with two club awards – the Etihad Player of the Year award and the Players’ Player of the Year award – at the end of his first term with City and then-manager Roberto Mancini even handed him the captaincy.
The lethal centre-forward eventually grew unsettled and left for Juventus, but not before showing United what they’d missed out on thanks to the apparent oversight from Ferguson.
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