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Didi Hamann has revealed how he once rejected a transfer to Real Madrid in favour of moving to the Premier League.
The German is best-known for his seven-year stint at Anfield where he was part of the Reds side that won the treble in 2001 and the Champions League in 2005
He would ultimately only spend one season at St. James' Park prior to joining Liverpool, with performances impressive enough to catch the eye of Gerard Houllier
He even rejected interest from reigning European champions Real Madrid in order to sign for Newcastle, who were managed by Reds legend Sir Kenny Dalglish at the time.
Didi Hamann:
"We had many excellent players at Bayern, but we never gelled as a team," the German told FourFourTwo. "I always felt that, in order to fulfil my potential, I needed to leave.
"After the 1998 World Cup in France, Real Madrid were interested, but the keenest approach was Newcastle with Kenny Dalglish in charge. My mind was made up straight away, and I enjoyed it.
"Sometimes it wasn’t as professional as Bayern, like their training ground and things, but I found a team with plenty of spirit. It was a disappointing year, however. We reached the FA Cup final, but didn ’t do as well as expected in the Premier League [finishing 13th]."
Dalglish was dismissed by Newcastle in August 1998, just three weeks after signing Hamann
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