I almost made my dream transfer to Liverpool, people thought I was crazy when I turned it down.
Michael Laudrup, one of the best players of his generation, could have played in one of Liverpool's best teams.
In 1983, the Brondby star wanted to join them, he was a Liverpool fan, but in the end the transfer fell through due to a disagreement and England's loss was Italy's gain.
“We agreed a three-year contract and left thinking everything was done,” Laudrup explained to liverpoolfc.com in 2011. “But two weeks later they came back saying they wanted to offer me the same package, but for four years because I was still young and needed time to develop.
“I was disappointed because, even though nothing was signed, we had an agreement. I decided not to leave and people thought I was crazy. This 19-year-old was rejecting the great Liverpool team. But in reality it wasn't like that.
“I just thought that a deal is a deal and people have to stick to what they decide. After that, I had other offers and I went to Juventus. That's football.”
Laudrup eventually joined Lazio from Brondby, after which he played for Juventus (at the time Liverpool's European rivals), Barcelona and Real Madrid. This is a man whom three-time Ballon d'Or winner Michel Platini described as one of the most talented players he has ever seen.
His brother, Brian, once said: “He started out as a striker but developed into an elegant attacking midfielder, perhaps the most complete one ever.”
“His vision, his speed of thought and his passing were on another level; he always knew what was going to happen before anyone else. If anyone had a 'football brain', it was him.”
Romario, Raúl and Luis Figo are others who also praised the player that Laudrup was.
Figo places him among his favourite players. “When I was younger I also liked watching players like Michael Laudrup, Zico and Marco Van Basten,” he adds that the Dane was the best he had ever faced.
In Spain, first with Barça, he won four consecutive league titles and added another league crown in real Madrid.
Iván Zamorano, his teammate at Real Madrid, described him as a 'genius'.
3
3
Johan Cruyff, his coach at Barcelona, adored him: “When Michael plays it is like a dream, a magical illusion and no one in the world comes close to his level.”
It's rare for a player to be loved equally by Barça and Real Madrid fans, but Laudrup is.
It is said that King Juan Carlos I appeared at her side while she was reflecting on her future while eating in an elegant restaurant in Madrid in 1996.
He was sitting a few tables away and overheard the conversation, which prompted him to approach.
“It's good news,” he whispered in the player's ear when he looked like he was leaving. “I will be the only King in Madrid again.”
Laudrup ended up in England when he took over as Swansea manager in 2012, when the club was in the Premier League. He lasted until early 2014, when he was sacked.
However, his time will be remembered for his style of play, Michu's debut season in which he scored 22 goals in all competitions and the 2013 League Cup, where Swansea thrashed Bradford 5-0.
He subsequently trained in Qatar and now uses his experience as a commentator for Danish television.
Liverpool didn't exactly regret the decision, though, going on to win the treble in 1983/84, securing their fourth European Cup in seven years, but a forward line consisting of Laudrup, Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush would have been terrifying.
“Michael turned out to be a wonderful player but I firmly believe we made the right decision at the time because he demanded terms and conditions in his contract that we found impossible to meet,” said the former Anfield executive. said Paul Robinson.
“The main obstacle was that he wanted to have the option to leave after a short period if he felt things weren't working out. From our point of view, this didn't make any business sense.
“Over the years it was very rare for a player to turn down Liverpool but it wasn't something that worried us. It was just a matter of moving on and identifying another target.”
Oh, what could have been?
