Nicky Butt could have been a Galactico, he has told talkSPORT.
A Manchester United academy graduate, he was part of the team that enjoyed immense success, which included the 1999 treble.
But as his time with his boyhood club was coming to an end in 2004, he wasn’t short of opportunities, with a move to United’s rivals also mooted.
“When I left United, Man City – Stuart Pearce was in charge – called me to ask me to go” Butt explained.
However, the Gorton born midfielder recalled it being a non-starter.
“It couldn’t really happen because of the dynamic of my life in Manchester and my family, they wouldn’t have had a life, so it would have been a disaster first of all.
“It would have been alright for me as I could have got out of the way, but my close family would have had a load of stick.
“Arsenal was another one. The big one was Stuart Pearce, he rang me up, but it was never going to happen.
Asked about the potential move to Arsenal, Butt insisted nothing much materialised from it. Instead, it was Real Madrid who were keen on him.
A year before his exit, Carlos Queiroz left his role as Alex Ferguson’s assistant to take over at the Bernabeu where president Florentino Perez was building his Galacticos team that already included Ronaldo, David Beckham and Zinedine Zidane.
“He’d come and enquired about me,” Butt added, recalling his 2004 summer when he was on a pre-season tour of America with United.
“I had a discussion with him and nearly went there. I nearly did a Valencia deal.”
Butt explained that Fergie put an end to his move to Spain. “[Quieroz] had a discussion with me about going to Real Madrid, and asked the manager, who said, no – he wouldn’t sell me to them.
“Then Newcastle came in at the late stage, and that was the club that I wanted to go to, so I got on a plane, flew from Chicago, and went straight to Newcastle.
Real Madrid ended up signing Thomas Gravesen from Everton to fill that holding position in the middle of the pitch.
Butt recalled: “They had so many superstars going doing what they wanted on the pitch, they needed someone to sure it up. Obviously, Carlos was close to me as a coach and liked me.”
A tireless midfielder who was much more than the aggressive reputation he earned, Butt could have been invaluable for Real having played in a team full of stars himself.
His own position had Paul Scholes and Roy Keane, while he also called Beckham, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Eric Cantona teammates.
He won six Premier League titles with Manchester United, three FA Cups and four Community Shields before deciding it was time to leave.
He moved to Newcastle where he stayed for six years and helped them win the Championship in the 2009/10 season. As captain, he lifted the trophy in his final act.