Diego on rejecting Bayern and Real Madrid: 'Juventus worked hard to sign me'
This Saturday, Diego bid farewell to Werder fans, hoping to once again capture their hearts as he did from 2006 to 2009 with stunning goals and brilliant passes. The Brazilian will play his farewell match, and ahead of it, he shared insights about his career with SPORT BILD, including how former coach Thomas Schaaf saved his career.
Diego moved to Porto from FC Santos in 2004, but after struggling there, Werder Bremen signed him for €6m. “When I arrived in Bremen in 2006, I had just come out of a tough period in Porto. But then I met Thomas Schaaf. He believed in me from the beginning—more than I even believed in myself. That made all the difference,” says Diego. Despite arriving with six extra kilos, Schaaf saw his potential and did everything to help him settle. "In the preparation, Thomas ran alongside me every morning during every run. I got fit again, and these small details made the difference," he adds.
Diego eventually became a superstar at Werder before moving to Juventus for €28m in 2009, turning down Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. "I chose Juventus because I had a really good feeling about them. They worked hard to sign me, calling me regularly during the season. That showed me how much they wanted me," he explains. "With Madrid, there was only one meeting in Spain, and with Bayern, Uli Hoeness invited my father for a meeting. But in the end, I wanted to experience a new country. My connection to Werder was too strong at that point."
His time at Juventus didn’t go as planned, and he moved on to Wolfsburg, hoping for a title challenge, but instead found himself fighting relegation. "I saw huge potential at Wolfsburg, with the chance of becoming German champions," says Diego. But after a disagreement with coach Felix Magath, he adds, "On the last day of the 2010/11 season, I didn’t start, and I left upset. That caused tension between us."
Diego later played for Atletico Madrid, Fenerbahce, and Flamengo before publishing his biography in Brazil in 2021.
