Former Argentine striker Carlos Tevez has shed light on the reasons for his scandalous transfer from Manchester United to city rivals Manchester City in 2009. In a conversation with his former teammate Rio Ferdinand, the South American admitted that the signing with the "citizens" was driven by a desire for revenge because of the unfulfilled promises of Sir Alex Ferguson.
Tevez revealed that at the beginning of his two-year loan he had a firm agreement with the club for a permanent transfer if he performed strongly on the pitch, but everything changed after Dimitar Berbatov came to the team.
„Fergie told me personally: "Carlos, I will buy you and you stay in Manchester". I remember this conversation very well before pre-season training. He told me: "I will buy Berbatov, but don't worry - I will buy you too and we will prepare a new permanent contract for you", the Argentinean returned.
According to him, the manager of the "Red Devils" had nearly six months to make the deal happen, but instead the situation has taken a completely different direction.
„People don't understand what was going on behind the scenes and what Fergie and I said. He had about half a year to keep his word, but he didn't. On the contrary, he started to leave me on the bench. The thought formed in my head that he was deliberately isolating me to lower my value. That's what hurt me the most“, explained Tevez.
The Argentine stressed that he felt betrayed despite the successes achieved at "Old Trafford".
„It was extremely difficult for me, Rio, because I gave my whole heart to United, and in return I didn't receive the same attitude. We won the Champions League, we won the title. After all that, they brought in another player to reduce my value. "For the first few months I kept giving it my all, but after that I didn't want to know anything anymore. I had a wonderful time at United, but my move to City was revenge. I didn't get back what I gave to the club," Tevez summed up.