"Then one day, Sao Paulo's president summoned me and my former agent. That alone was terrifying for a kid, since contact with the president was rare. He told me the club had received a $12 million bid from Barcelona and intended to accept it. I had no clue what $12m even worked out as in reais. At that point, whatever they said, I would have agreed to it."
"But then Betis arrived, offering $32m (21.5m). Brazilian law at the time meant I was entitled to just 15 per cent of that sum, but still, it was a life-changing amount of money. More than twice the offer from Barca and a chance to secure my family's future. Today people always talk about career planning. Back then, that didn't exist. My train was there and I had to jump on it. My first priority was sorting out my parents' lives, the rest came after."
In 1996 Denilson received his first Brazil call-up and attracted interest from major European clubs including Milan, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United. Sao Paulo received a $12m bid from Barcelona, but Real Betis offered $32m (21.5m), a world-record fee in 1998. Brazilian law entitled Denilson to 15% of the transfer, which provided life-changing financial security for his family and influenced his decision. Denilson did not fully meet the lofty expectations tied to the fee in La Liga, yet he accumulated over 500 club appearances, earned 61 Brazil caps and was part of Brazil's 2002 World Cup winning squad.
Read at www.fourfourtwo.com
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