Hugo Almeida: “Mourinho wanted to take me to Real Madrid”

It has just been one year since Hugo Almeida's retirement. The former Portuguese striker hung up his boots on February 6, 2020 and has granted an interview to the Jornal de Noticias, in which he confirms for the first time a news that saw the light a decade ago: he could be a Real Madrid player. “I was in the final phase of the contract (with Werder Bremen) and the opportunity to go to Real Madrid arose. José Mourinho wanted it to be that way. I worked my entire career to get to a club of that size, plus I had friends there. “

It was January 2011 and Madrid lost Higuaín for a few months due to a herniated disc that forced him to undergo surgery. The white club put its machinery in motion to incorporate a forward. Dzeko, Fernando Torres, Hugo Almeida … were some of the names that were put on the table and that had the approval of Mourinho. However, none of them made it to Madrid.

In the case of the Portuguese striker, the person responsible for his not finishing white was Jorge Valdano: “Unfortunately, things did not go well. The sports director (Jorge Valdano) did not love me and I had to move on with my life.” Finally, the chosen one was Adebayor. Hugo Almeida ended up going to Turkey: “Then Besiktas appeared and I liked the adventure they proposed. I don't know if I would accept it today, but I was also happy.”