Leverkusen star Grimaldo reveals he was 'forced' to leave Barcelona
Alejandro Grimaldo's sporting life has changed drastically in recent months. He dazzled in the ranks of Benfica, but became very important under Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen. With the Bundesliga title under his belt and a treble to achieve at the end of the season, the Spanish full-back recalled his departure from Portugal.
"I had a fantastic season and my initial plan was to renew my contract. In theory, the club also wanted to renew, but there wasn't a certain salary level. Benfica didn't make that effort that I think I deserved at the time," the Spain international told the 'Esquire'.
Grimaldo added that "in the negotiations they were not willing to make an effort, not even close to it", so he looked for "alternatives", which he found in the ranks of Bayer Leverkusen.
Despite the bad taste of his departure, Grimaldo is happy with his time in Portugal: "Coming from the Spanish second division was a big change, especially because I arrived in January and the team already had its dynamic. Little by little I started to play".
"They forced me to leave Barcelona, they didn't count on me. After four or five years with Barca B, I felt it was time to make the leap to the first team, which wasn't the case. Jordi Alba was there, I understand that it was difficult and that's why I decided to leave. I had offers from Spanish clubs, but Benfica were playing in the Champions League, I saw how many players grew up at the club and made it to the big leagues and I decided to take that step. The truth is that everything went well, I was very happy at Benfica," he said.
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