Ex-Real Madrid Prospect Rejected Los Blancos' Offer Because He Didn't Speak Spanish

A former Real Madrid prospect revealed that he turned down a great offer from the Spanish side because he literally didn’t speak their language.

Bert Konterman was a former Dutch professional soccer player who could have played for Real Madrid. At some point during his playing years, Konterman was pursued by Los Blancos but everything fell apart because of one reason – Konterman didn't know how to speak Spanish.

Looking back at his career, Konterman played for multiple clubs such as Willem II, Feyenoord, Rangers, and Vitesse. The then defender almost had the breakthrough of his career when Real Madrid reached out to him and presented a lucrative offer but none of that came to fruition.

In a a recent talk with podcast “Talkin Fitbaw” (via Besoccer.com), Konterman recalled that Real’s offer was unbelievable and he already got the nod from his current team. But instead, the Dutchman decided not to accept the offer simply because he envisioned himself playing for Germany or the U.K. as he fluently speaks their languages.

"Madrid offered $20 million to Feyenoord. I told Beenhakker ‘no’ and that he was joking. He told me he wanted me to stay in the team, but that he understood if I wanted to go to Real Madrid. Then it was kind of stupid of me because they were really interested. I kept all the newspaper articles in case anyone doesn't believe it," Konterman recalled.

"I always thought my next team should have been in Germany or Britain because I spoke German and English so well. In Spain, I was a bit scared,” he added.

After the Real Madrid deal failed, Konterman continued to play for his current side and never received an offer from the Spanish side again.

Much similar to Konterman, ex-Rennes player Mario Melchiot was also a defender and a Dutchman. More importantly, Melchiot also rejected a good offer from Real Madrid. In a recent interview with Goal, Melchiot already had a deal with Los Blancos but he opted to play for Chelsea because of his family.

"I had the chance to go to Real Madrid when I was 19 but I chose my family over Madrid because they needed me at that time. I took a gamble because Chelsea might not have come two years later. I went all the way to Madrid. They spoke to me, the deal was done and I only needed to sign. My feeling, though, was that I have to do what's right for me,” Melchiot revealed.