Villarreal defender Pau Torres rejected a summer move to Tottenham Hotspur – and that move has absolutely paid dividends.
Tottenham were in the market for a new centre back last summer and decided to make a huge move for Villarreal defender Torres.
An agreement was reached over a massive £56million move for Torres but Tottenham ended up signing Cristian Romero instead.
So what happened?
Despite being offered a huge salary at Tottenham, Torres told The Guardian that playing in the Champions League for his hometown club was more important than money.
Torres and Villarreal managed to advance from a group containing Atalanta, Manchester United and Young Boys.
Villarreal then dumped out Juventus in the knockout stages and their Champions League run seemed to have reached its apex.
A clash with Bayern Munich looked like a bridge too far for Villarreal but they thrive on doubters.
After a 1-0 win in the first leg, Villarreal grabbed a 1-1 draw in Germany on Tuesday night with Samuel Chukwueze sending them through.
Villarreal are now into the semi-finals, likely meeting Liverpool in the last four – and whilst the Reds will be favourites, you can’t rule out Unai Emery’s side.
This is exactly why Torres rejected Tottenham; for the chance to do something special with Villarreal.
Winning the Europa League last season wasn’t enough. Torres wanted to shine in the Champions League too and this run has surely gone even further than he expected.
Tottenham will be gutted Torres didn’t join, given that he is a quality centre back.
Yet his story is a heart-warming one, and a sign that money isn’t always everything even in the modern game.
Torres and Villarreal are now just two games away from a final appearance, and Torres can point to this run as being exactly what he wanted – even if meant snubbing riches at Tottenham.
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