Juninho has admitted that he regrets turning down the chance to join Liverpool.
The former Brazilian playmaker remains a cult hero at Middlesbrough following his three spells on Teesside between the mid 1990s and early 2000s.
However Juninho has revealed that he passed up the option of moving to Anfield in the summer of 1997 prior to securing a move to Atletico Madrid.
And the World Cup winner concedes that he would have considered joining the Reds had he not already agreed to link up with the Spanish giants.
“If l could go back to the past, l would never leave English football when I did,” he told the Daily Mail.
“I had the chance to go to Liverpool in 1997. The manager [Roy Evans] spoke to my father.
“But I had already given my word to Atletico Madrid.”
Philippe Coutinho recently took Juninho’s mantle as the highest-scoring Brazilian in Premier League history when he struck in last weekend’s win over Stoke City.
The 44-year-old has backed his compatriot to make the grade with Liverpool despite long-running interest from Barcelona and Real Madrid in recent months.
He added: “It’s a difficult decision [to make].
“Liverpool is a massive club too of course but when Barcelona or Madrid or Munich come it is tough.
“But he has adapted so well to English football. That maybe will help him decide to stay in England.”