**[Brighton and Hove Albion](https://sportwitness.co.uk/brighton/) star Mats Wieffer believes he could be at Real Madrid now, if his early development had continued at its previous pace.**
[Twente Fans report on comments from Wieffer today](https://www.twentefans.nl/mats-wieffer-is-zelfverzekerd-dan-zat-ik-nu-bij-real-madrid/) made in an interview with Amazon in the Netherlands.
**Real Madrid belief**
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The Dutch midfielder, who is now playing as a right-back, has been with Brighton since joining them for €30m in 2024.
He was a record transfer for his former club FC Twente, where he had come through the youth ranks at the club. His development there was rapid and has continued at Brighton since.
He was asked about that rapid development, but remained grounded, even if he thinks he could have ended up at Real Madrid.
_“If things had continued at that pace, I’d be at Real Madrid right now,”_ he said.
_“Of course, it’s unrealistic to expect to be at the very top tier immediately, so I made a conscious decision not to join a top-tier club straight away.”_
**Brighton transfer plan**
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The Dutchman, like many, deliberately chose Brighton for the development path that they offers players. He’s benefitting from that under Fabian Hurzeler.
_“Coming here was a very deliberate choice, and they knew me very well,”_ he added.
_“It’s a wonderful club. We sit just below the top tier and are pushing to establish ourselves among England’s elite. Naturally, that comes with its ups and downs, especially since we have such a young squad.”_
**Premier League adaptation**
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Mats Wieffer is now a regular in the Brighton side, although that has taken him adapting to a new role as a right-back.
He appears to have finally adapted to life in England, and the Premier League. And he admits that it took some time for that to happen.
_“Things are going well for me personally now, but the beginning certainly took some getting used to,”_ he concluded.
_“The English understand that players need time to settle in during their first year. James Milner actually mentioned that to me. He remarked that it’s impressive when players adapt quickly, it really is a difficult process, something I certainly experienced firsthand.”_