Stefan Ortega has now admitted that he was unsure about joining Manchester City at first.
The German made the comment when speaking to 11Freunde.
So, what did Stefan Ortega say about his decision to join Manchester City? Let’s take a look…
What’s the story?
Well, the 30-year-old was torn between joining an elite football club, or playing regularly.
Eventually, Ortega opted to sign for Manchester City in July 2022 and become Ederson’s backup after his contract with Arminia Bielefeld expired, due to the club’s persistence.
The Manchester City No.18 said: “The contact between my agents and City had existed for a long time. When it became concrete, I resisted for a long time.
“On the one hand, there was the prospect of playing and training with the best in the world, to do my job in a super professional environment. On the other hand, I wanted to be number one and be in goal regularly.”
How Manchester City convinced Stefan Ortega to join
When asked what eventually convinced him to move to the Etihad Stadium, Ortega added: “Maybe the perseverance of those in charge, especially Xabi (Xabier Mancisidor – Goalkeeping Coach at Manchester City).
“I remember being in London in May 2022 to watch another interested club play. My agent called: “Tego, you can drive on to Manchester tomorrow and take a look at everything.
“I just said: “No, no time, I have to prepare my wedding.” That was a week later. Of course, Xabi heard this back and forth, but he persisted and said: “As long as you don’t say ‘No!’ out loud, we’ll keep annoying you!” I found that impressive.”
Clearly, Manchester City’s decision to not give up meant a lot to Ortega, and the transfer appears to have worked out for all parties.
Pep Guardiola now boasts two of the best goalkeeping options in Europe, while Manchester City also helped the £55,000-a-week man take home Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League medals, along with a UEFA Super Cup medal.
Even if Ortega – who also revealed that Erling Haaland is not the best technician – ends up leaving the Etihad Stadium in 2024 to become No.1 elsewhere, he will always be in the history books as a treble winning glovesman.
