Former Atletico Madrid and Benfica defender Guilherme Siqueira admits that he ‘rejected’ the chance to sign for Premier League giants Liverpool on transfer deadline day in August 2013, speaking to AS.
Long before Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas were battling for a place on the left-hand side of Jurgen Klopp’s backline, the Merseyside giants were pushing to complete the bargain £5 million signing of a man who shot to fame with Granada, scoring 12 goals in two La Liga seasons from defence.
But Liverpool were not the all-conquering, quadruple-chasing force they are now back in 2013.
Brendan Rodgers’ side finished seventh in the Premier League that previous season, behind rivals Everton and just one place above West Bromwich Albion.
“When I finished the season with Granada, I talked to some clubs. Real Madrid among them. I rejected a specific offer from Liverpool to wait for Madrid,” Siqueira recalls.
“It was calm. If it wasn’t Madrid it would be another club. Liverpool, other teams also from the Premier had shown interest.
“And when I least expected it, the last day of the market… At eleven in the morning, I received a call from my agent telling me about Benfica. I had team-mates who had played there and had told me very good things about the club. And I told (my agent): ‘Let’s go’.”
What might’ve been for Siqueira?
Siqueira would eventually spend the 2013/14 season on loan at Benfica before joining Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid.
Only a couple of seasons later, at the age of 32, the buccaneering Brazilian was forced to retire from football after series of injuries which restricted him to just 26 appearances in a forgettable spell at Valencia.
Not that Siqueira, a positive and infectious character, is letting such bad luck get him down. Now an agent, the 35-year-old is enjoying his new role behind the scenes.
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“We shouldn’t just be representatives. We should look a bit like ex-soccer players. Like a father. Like a friend,” Siqueira adds.
“We always want to look from the point of view of former players who have achieved success and who suffered to achieve success. That’s what we always try to explain to young people. How hard it is (to make it at the top level).”
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