Former Real Madrid midfielder Jose Rodriguez has revealed he turned down the chance to sign for Arsenal earlier in his career, but insisted he has no regrets about the decision.
The 20-year-old is thought to have been targeted by Gunners coach Arsene Wenger in 2011, but the Real youth product instead opted to stay at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Rodriguez was subsequently sent on loan to Deportivo La Coruna last season before the attacking midfielder left Los Blancos this summer after signing a four-year deal with Turkish giants Galatasaray.
Despite ending his career at Real having made just a handful of first-team appearances, Rodriguez believes his decision to say no to a move to Arsenal has been justified.
"I was in London, just about to sign with Arsenal. But then, Real Madrid put faith in me, and I think things haven't gone bad for me since then," he told Goal.
"I made my debut with the [Real] first team, and I'm the youngest player in the Champions League [to play for the club in the competition].
"The past is the past. Maybe if I had chosen Arsenal, now I'd be playing there... or maybe not. I never thought about leaving Real Madrid until right now, because I was always happy.
"Now they haven't put their faith in me, and that's okay. They kept a re-buy option, and there's hope."
Speaking about moving to Turkey, he added: "The Galatasaray transfer is a step ahead for my career, as I'll be playing Champions League this season. It's a big club. I had options in Spain, but I chose Galatasaray.
"The Turkish league is not as good as the Spanish one, but they are signing very good foreign players, and it's becoming a very competitive league little by little. Real Madrid is the biggest club ever, but Galatasaray is also a great club, one of the biggest in Europe."
