Carlos Tevez has revealed he was close to joining Real Madrid before making the switch from Manchester United to rivals Manchester City.

The Argentinian forward joined the Citizens in 2009 after two seasons with the Red Devils, during which time he won six trophies, including two Premier League titles and the Champions League.

His performances for United, which saw him score 19 goals and provide nine assists in the Premier League, saw him gain attention from Europe's top clubs.

Tevez joined City ahead of the 2009-10 campaign and went on to directly contribute to 30 goals (23 goals, seven assists) in his first league campaign with the club.

In the following season, Tevez scored another 20 top-flight goals to claim the Golden Boot, while he helped City win their first Premier League title in 2011-12.

We would like to wish Carlos Tevez all the best in his retirement #ManCity pic.twitter.com/dMMzfp4LVy

— Manchester City (@ManCity) June 4, 2022

Tevez, however, almost left Old Trafford for the Santiago Bernabeu in 2009, though he saw his move collapse after Madrid president Ramon Calderon was sacked.

"When I signed with Real Madrid, it was when I moved from Manchester United to Manchester City," Tevez told ESPN.

"I spoke with Calderon at three in the morning; we had everything finalised. Mijatovic was the sporting director. We were at home having dinner, and we closed the contract after a match with United.

"We couldn't say anything; we left the contract at the notary's office so we could present it, but Calderon was sacked, and everyone left."

Tevez went on to join Juventus after four seasons with City, before returning to his native Argentina to play for Boca Juniors.