Winger Nolito has revealed he had a straight choice between joining Barcelona or Manchester City and insists he stands by his decision to move to England.
The 29-year-old has spent the majority of his career in Spain and featured over 100 times for Barcelona B as he was starting out with his professional career.
The winger was handed two appearances for the senior side before he was sold to Benfica and subsequently found his way back to his homeland with Celta Vigo in 2013.
Nolito’s stock has risen hugely during his time with Celta where he played a key role under Luis Enrique prior to the manager’s appointment at Camp Nou.
His exploits with the Galician outfit led to interest from a number of suitors this summer but former club Barcelona and Manchester City, who are priced at 3.50 to win the league, were the two standout choices.
The Spain international, who featured at Euro 2016, insists joining City was the best decision as he looks to take the next step in his career.
Nolito said: “It’s something I spoke about with my family and my management.
“I thought it was the best decision for me and my career. I had a consultation with my family and my agent and it took me just two days to make the decision.
“I have come to the Premier League to play with City and under [new manager] Pep Guardiola, who will play me in the first team and I am very happy with the decision I took.”
Nolito admitted that the opportunity to play alongside the likes of Lionel Messi and Neymar was difficult to turn down but he feels playing regular football is more important.
He added: “I have been lucky to play with Messi a bit but what I want in life is to enjoy my football, play football and be happy.
“I made the decision. I was fortunate to play in Barcelona, although not much in the first team, and now I am excited about playing at City and I will try to do great things here.”
Leave a comment
Link Dafabet