Rafael van der Vaart has revealed that he turned down a move to Liverpool.
Van der Vaart spent two years in the Premier League with Tottenham between 2010 and 2012 but could have joined the ranks at Anfield a decade earlier.
The Holland international, now 35, was courted by erstwhile Reds manager Gerard Houllier during his formative years at Ajax.
But van der Vaart, currently playing for Danish outfit Midtjylland, admits that the time was not right to leave the Eridivisie despite strong interest from Merseyside.
“I actually had the chance to move to the Premier League a lot earlier,” he told FourFourTwo.
“When I was about 19, Gerard Houllier wanted to take me to Liverpool.
“I was flattered, of course, but at the time I wasn’t that interested in moving abroad. However, my agent said it would be a good idea to give Houllier a call.
“He explained that he had talked about me with Michael Owen, who had said he would be happy to play with me at Liverpool.
“It was amazing to hear that, but I was still sure I wanted to remain at Ajax.”
Van der Vaart’s admission comes exactly a week after compatriot Wesley Sneijder admitted that he turned down a move to Anfield in 2013 to join Galatasaray.