Carlos Tevez has revealed that getting revenge on Manchester United was his reason for joining Manchester City. The 42-year-old made a permanent move from West Ham United to the Etihad Stadium in 2009, having opted against joining United after a two-year loan spell.
Those two seasons at Old Trafford were successful, with Tevez scoring 34 goals in 99 appearances, although his playing time decreased towards the end of his second campaign. Clarity over his long-term future was unclear during that period, and Tevez ultimately joined City in the summer despite reports claiming there was an agreement for him to sign for Real Madrid. He scored 73 goals in 148 games across four years at City.
Revenge motive revealed
Asked by Rio Ferdinand which club he enjoyed more during an appearance on the Rio Ferdinand Presents channel, Tevez said: "Oh, Rio... Look, I feel like I left a lot, uh, at both teams. But if you make me choose, let's say, uh, I had a great time at United. The other team, uh, City, for me, was like a revenge for for, how can I put it, uh, I didn't get back what I gave."
A two-year loan switch is relatively unusual in football and was prohibited by FIFA in 2022, but Tevez was among the few to complete such a transfer. After producing impressive performances, he looked certain to join United permanently, though that situation never materialised, with Tevez revealing he held discussions with Sir Alex Ferguson about his future but believed the manager failed to honour his commitments.
Ferguson promises broken
Tevez said: "They spoke to me. The two year... How do you say «en préstamo»?'Loan' After, if you play well, pay the contract after one year. Fergie told me, 'Carlos, I'm going to pay out your contract and you're going to stay in Manchester'. The team went to a pre-season in Los Angeles.
"I remember this conversation with Fergie. He said 'I'm going to pay for Berbatov but don't worry, I'm going to buy you the thing and we'll do your contract'. For me, the Man United fans understand. You remember in the game the fans speaking to Ferguson. 'Fergie sign him. Sign him up, sign him up'."
"For me it was... It was hard Rio. It was hard because I felt like I'd given my heart to United. And I didn't feel the same. I didn't feel the same because, uh, if you remember, we won the Champions League. We won the league and, and then, to bring down my price, they brought in a player and I carried on the same way for the first months.
"The second months, let's say, of the second year. But by the second, the second month, I didn't want to know any more. I think that Ferguson had, from the day we talked in Los Angeles up to six months to keep his word. And he didn't. On the contrary, he started leaving me on the bench. In my head. He started pushing me aside so he could bring down what I was worth. And that's what hurt me the most."
The full interview is available on the Rio Ferdinand Presents YouTube channel from 8.00 UK time on Thursday 29th October.
