Within a year of throwing him on the scrapheap, deemed unworthy for their push for 'La Decima', Wesley Sneijder was back in the Bernabeu. Only this time, he was holding aloft the allowed European Cup. Since his arrival at Real Madrid from Ajax in 2007, as part of the 'Dutch Revolution', his time at the Bernabeu was ultimately a frustrating one, with Madrid chiefs deeming him damaged goods following a cruciate ligament injury sustained at the beginning of his second season, which would rule him out for three months. Signed by the altogether more sensible Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan in 2010, the Dutch maestro was moulded as the fulcrum of the side, establishing himself as one of the world's finest playmakers, as the club soared to an unprecedented treble. The fact that the arena for the triumphant Champions League final was the Santiago Bernabeu must have tasted even sweeter for Sneijder. Almost as if to rub salt into the wounds of unlooking Madridistas, he subsequently grabbed the 2010 World Cup by the scruff of the neck, leading an unfancied Dutch side to the final, before ultimately submissing to an unrelenting Spanish triumvirate. Much to the former Ajax captain's dismay, there were even rumours in recent seasons that Real Madrid might want to reverse their decision and bring back the attacking gauntlet that they were so quick to discard in 2010.
''I wish Jose Mourinho all the best at Real Madrid and hope he can win everything because he deserves it, but I will not return to Real. I would be crazy to. They treated me badly and without respect.'' - Wesley Sneijder, June 2010.
Recent Journalism & New Media graduate. Insatiable thirst for all things football, and hopes to break into the field of sports journalism in the near future.
Have made a significantly insignificant playing career out of receiving several slaps around the head for not passing the ball.
