Real Madrid's Ricardo Carvalho admits he wasn't happy during his final years as a Chelsea player

Real Madrid's Ricardo Carvalho admits he wasn't happy during his final years as a Chelsea player

Real Madrid defender Ricardo Carvalho has said he did not enjoy the latter part of his career at Chelsea.

Pray silence: Ricardo Carvalho believes he had become stale towards the end of his spell with Chelsea Photo: REUTERS

By Thom Gibbs 12:48PM BST 04 Apr 2011

The Real Madrid defender said that a change of clubs gave him a new challenge, and he felt he needed to prove himself again.

"It would have been easy to stay at Chelsea, where people respected me and moving on meant starting over again," Carvalho said in an interview with The Guardian. "But I needed a change, the challenge — and it was Real Madrid.

"During the last few years at Chelsea I wasn't so happy; I felt saturated. I needed to try something different, get some impetus. I'd become too comfortable. That's not a good thing. I had to show I was still a good player."

Carvalho spent six years at Chelsea, coming to club with manager Jose Mourinho from a Porto side that had just won the Champions League. The Portuguese defender won the Premier League twice, but missed out on a second European Cup.

Speaking of Chelea's defeat in the 2008 final to Manchester United, Carvalho said: "It was incredible that we lost.

"Cristiano [Ronaldo] missed a penalty, Ash[ley Cole] scored. United had to score twice and we had to miss. You think: 'It's ours, this is it.' We were ready to celebrate. And then John Terry missed. Suddenly it was over.

"But I was so impressed with John. He is a classic English centre-back, so strong, such character. He was angry and crying like all of us – but he didn't hide away in his room. He looked dead but he was there for us. If that had happened to me, I'm not sure I could have done the same. That was incredible."

Carvalho has been at the heart of a hugely impressive Madrid defence which has only conceded seven goals at home in La Liga this season, and says he does not mind which of Tottenham's strikers he has to mark in the Champions League game between the sides on Tuesday.

"They're both very good but very different and we'll be forced to adapt accordingly.

"Against Crouch we can play higher because he is not so dangerous on the shoulder, while Defoe is quicker behind you. I don't mind [which one I mark]. I'm not worried about them – so long as I'm fit, strong and playing well."
Telegraph.feedsportal.com