Bundesliga legend revisits the time he snubbed Bayern

Ahead of his farewell match at Weserstadion, Diego Ribas looks back at the time he rejected the Rekordmeister.

It’s a special day for the former Brazil international Diego Ribas. The Werder Bremen maverick will be accompanied by his former teammates as the club arranged a farewell match for him today. Bremen also unveiled a special Diego jersey earlier this month.

Diego only played three seasons at Bremen, but his influence was exceptional at the time the Green and Whites were fighting for domestic and continental titles. When he finally moved on from Bremen in 2009, he chose to join Juventus instead of a move to Bayern Munich.

In an interview with Sport Bild, Diego reveals all about offers from three European giants. “There was only one meeting with Real Madrid in Spain. And, of course, Uli Hoeneß invited my father to a meeting. Ultimately, I wanted to get to know a new country.” said Diego about making the toughest decision in his career.

“I also wanted to leave Germany because my connection to Werder was simply too strong at that time,” remarks Diego ahead of a reunion with Bremen fans. “Werder is a club with great potential, great fans, and a fantastic atmosphere.”

Diego did return to the Bundesliga with a short spell at Wolfsburg before joining Atletico Madrid in 2011. He retired from football in 2023 after an uncharacteristic long spell at Flamengo.