Garcia never wanted to quit Atleti

Raul Garcia has revealed he never wanted to leave Atletico Madrid even when things weren’t going well at Vicente Calderon.

Garcia has been interviewed by AS to mark the 10th anniversary of his debut and reflected on a time when Atletico were struggling

He was whistled by the stands and returned to Osasuna on loan, but insists he didn’t contemplate a permanent exit.

“From the first four years at Atletico, the first two were good,” he recalled.

“It was more complicated from the third. But I think I am where I am because I went through what I did.

“It’s hard to explain. I never looked for excuses. Instead I looked at myself and to improve so that situation never arose again.

“I never wanted to quit. I’m very stubborn. I like difficult challenges because you’re better when you come through them.

“When I went on loan to Osasuna I wasn’t thinking I couldn’t stay here. The circumstances were different.

“I’m grateful to Atleti for letting me leave. It released the pressure on me. From that year, everything changed.

“It would have been easy to leave, forget what happened and start again, but that’s not me.

“For me, Atletico is at the level of the best clubs in Europe and this is where I wanted to be.”

Tags Raul Garcia
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