One ex-Chelsea player has been talking about his decision to turn down Real Madrid for the Blues.
During the summer, Chelsea and Real Madrid went head-to-head for Dean Huijsen’s signature, with the Spanish giants coming out as the victors.
Huijsen had been on Chelsea’s shortlist since January, but they could not convince him to join them instead of Real Madrid in the end.
However, in the past, they were able to beat the 15-time Champions League winners to the signature of another defender.
Chelsea defender Jeffery Bruma controlling the ball
Photo by AMA/Corbis via Getty Images
Jeffrey Bruma chose Chelsea over Real Madrid
In 2007, Chelsea signed Jeffrey Bruma from Feyenoord, seeing off competition from Real Madrid to land the Dutchman.
The retired central defender barely played at Stamford Bridge, but he has no regrets about signing for the Blues and snubbing Real Madrid.
Speaking on De Rood Wit Podcast, Bruma said: “We played a small tournament in Madrid with Feyenoord’s Under 15s. A week later, I got a call from my agent that Chelsea and Real Madrid had contacted me.
“Then we flew to London to talk to Frank Arnesen (the head of Chelsea’s youth development at the time). It was completely informal. That’s when I decided to go for it. Pure feeling, I don’t know why. Real Madrid felt very far away. Chelsea felt warmer. I had four fantastic years there, won the championship…”
In total, the 33-year-old made just four appearances in the Premier League, spending a few seasons out on loan.
Bruma had temporary spells at Leicester City and Hamburg before eventually signing for PSV Eindhoven in 2013.
Bruma may no longer be at Chelsea, but the Club World Cup winners have another Dutch defender in Jorrel Hato.
Hato will be hoping for more minutes when club football returns, having made just two league starts for Chelsea so far.
Chelsea players during match against Aston Villa
Photo by Jamie McDonald/Getty Images
Why Jeffrey Bruma barely played at Chelsea
Bruma was a young centre-half with a lot of talent; it is why both Chelsea and Real Madrid wanted him.
However, at Stamford Bridge, the former Netherlands international was competing against the likes of John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho for a place in the team. Breaking into the starting XI was a near-impossible task.
Nevertheless, it looks like Bruma still enjoyed his time in west London and remains satisfied with his decision to sign for Chelsea instead of Real Madrid.
A lot of players would probably pick Real Madrid over Chelsea, but Bruma is not one of them.