Napoli signing Gonzalo Higuain has revealed new Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti wanted him to remain in the Spanish capital.
The Argentine joined the Azzurri this summer in a €37m deal, but only after the Italian tactician failed to convince him to stay.
Napoli signing Gonzalo Higuain has revealed new Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti wanted him to remain in the Spanish capital.
The Argentine joined the Azzurri this summer in a €37m deal, but only after the Italian tactician failed to convince him to stay.
“I wanted to leave Real Madrid because I wanted to play regularly, but that wasn’t possible there,” he told the Gazzetta dello Sport.
“When talks with Napoli got underway, Ancelotti tried in all manners to convince me to stay.
“But I had already made up my mind and the Napoli project was the most interesting out of all the ones proposed to me.”
Higuain, also linked with Arsenal and Juventus, was netted by the Stadio San Paolo outfit after they sold Edinson Cavani to Paris Saint-Germain.
“Cavani has left and will be remembered for the many goals he scored,” the striker added. “I’m here to make history like Diego Maradona, because my only target is to win.
“I’m convinced this will be an important experience for me. The club, the Coach and the squad are all of a high level.
“We have to believe in the Scudetto, we are competitive and we can dream even if Serie A is very difficult. We’ll be up against the usual teams…”
Napoli will also be playing Champions League football again after Walter Mazzarri, now at Inter, led them to a second place finish last term.
“It’s hard to say what our chances in Europe are. We’ll be up against teams of an international level, but the side has been built to withstand the challenge of the Champions League.”