Diego Godin admits there was a chance to leave Atletico Madrid this summer but says his intention was always to remain at Vicente Calderon.
Godin was the subject of a bid from Manchester City but chose instead to renew his deal with Atletico, signing until 2019.
“I’m very happy. This is a great day for me. I’m very happy to have renewed my contract,” the defender told the Press, AS reports, and an event to mark his renewal.
“I arrived five years ago with great enthusiasm and ambition for this field, which is more or less always full, to bring this club to the top.
“It’s true there was an offer but after talking and thinking and making the decisions I was taught by my family, I put my heart above all else.
“I want to thank the club, my teammates, the coaches, great figures for me in the years I’ve been here.
“I always had a clear idea to stay and that made everything easier. You get attached, and that means when the millions come and a concrete offer, you weigh everything up and I value happiness and the commitment to the club, so I decided to stay.
“I always spoke to the club first from the first moment of interest to know if they could offer a new contract and if I could stay. It’s true the differences at first were very, very large but I made my decision with my heart.
“Diego Simeone has been very responsible. He is the first one to want me to stay and has pushed the club to make an effort. And my teammates. When you see a squad give so much it makes it easier.
“The contract is until 2019. I’ll be 33 when it ends, so let’s see [if Atletico are his last Spanish team]. Maybe I can stay another year. It depends on how I feel. I think I’ll be fine and could renew another year.
“The club has grown immensely. I imagine other players look at Atletico and would like to join. We no longer sell our major stars. We have great aspirations.
“My big dream, and of all my teammates, is the Champions League. We’re going to fight for great things but that is the dream of everyone.”
