Steven Gerrard has revealed why he turned down a move to Real Madrid.
Jose Mourinho renewed his interest in the erstwhile Liverpool captain in 2010, having failed in successive summers to lure him to Chelsea in the mid-2000s.
Gerrard later admitted that he had received approaches from Los Blancos and Bayern Munich during his Anfield career but passed up both opportunities.
However the Rangers manager lifted the lid on what ultimately deterred him from making a star-studded switch to the Bernabeu a decade ago.
“I think if all the Chelsea stuff didn’t happen and Mourinho, when he came for me around 2010, maybe you look back and think ‘imagine playing for Madrid for a year or two’,” Gerrard told the Greatest Game podcast.
“Imagine going and playing for Mourinho in the Champions League – that would’ve been an unbelievable experience. Of course it would. But it didn’t happen.
“Basically, Madrid wanted me to cause a war at Liverpool to get out. That was the only way that could’ve happened.”
Gerrard also explained why he declined a chance to replace Bastian Schweinsteiger at Bayern following England’s Euro 2012 campaign.
He added: “I had a mad one as well after the Euros with Roy Hodgson. I think Schweinsteiger was coming to an end [of his time] at Bayern.
“We had some serious phone calls, and you think to yourself ‘Bayern Munich, how big are Bayern Munich? Imagine an experience going there’.
“But then that filters away and you think ‘hang on a minute, I’m Liverpool captain – why change? You’re already at a huge club, why would you want to affect your relationship with Liverpool?’”