Despite acknowledging that he never wanted to leave Roma, Inter midfielder Radja Nainggolan has revealed that he was driven to the move by the conduct of his former club.
In the summer, the Belgian’s four-and-a-half year spell at the Stadio Olimpico came to an end when the Giallorossi opted to cash in on him and sell him to the Milan club.
It is a situation that still rankles somewhat with the former Cagliari man, who told La Gazzetta dello Sport just how badly relations broke down between himself and the Lupi.
“My time at Roma didn’t end due to it being my fault, at least not entirely. I was disappointed by some behaviour from the club that I couldn’t accept any more as a man,” he said.
“I did things that were wrong for sure, like the New Year video, but they did things without telling me anything. Instead of talking about things like real men, they didn’t do that.
“Roma wanted to make money from my sale and I discovered that they had agreed deals with foreign clubs that I would never accept. I felt like I had been treated as an unimportant player and they did things behind my back.
“At that point, [Luciano] Spalletti called me and I didn’t have to think twice about it. At first I had regrets but I was instantly made to feel welcome here.”
Nainggolan also revealed that leaving the Eternal City finally came about after years of him turning down offers both from within Serie A and outside Italy.
“Juventus fans say that I dislike their team because they never wanted me but they tried to sign me five years in a row! I always said no to them and maybe that’s why they still have it in for me,” he confessed.
“I also had the chance to go to the Premier League when I was 28 or 29. But it would be a complete change of culture for me. I’ve always based my choices based on the quality of life.”
