Laureano Bisan-Etame Mayer has admitted that rejecting Real Madrid in favor of Arsenal was the best choice he ever made in his career.
The 47-year-old right back, better known as 'Lauren', made his breakthrough at Utrera in 1995 before moving to the B-team of Sevilla, Levante and Mallorca. A breakthrough season at the latter club attracted a lot of interest from the likes of Real Madrid and Roma, but the Cameroonian ultimately decided to make the move to Arsenal in the summer of 2000 for £500,000.
Speaking to the Daily Mail in 2020 about why he decided to snub the Bernabeu in favor of Highbury, cult hero Lauren explained: “My representative came to Madrid and met Juan Onieva [the vice-president] and they did not reach an agreement because the economic conditions that Madrid offered did not convince us.
“We got on the plane and went straight to London because there had been contact with Arsenal before. When we arrived we went straight to David Dein's house. [Vice-chairman at the time] house. It was David Dein, his daughter – who spoke Spanish – Arsène Wenger, me, my representative and a translator we brought with us because my English was non-existent.
“What really struck me was that I always negotiated very seriously with everyone in the office, in a suit and tie. This was completely different. David Dein opens his house to you. His personality was spectacular, the treatment from man to man was fantastic and I left there completely convinced.
“And Wenger, with that human warmth that he has, that approachable character of his. During the negotiations he didn't say too much; he listens to you, he keeps an eye on you, he sees if you have the personality to take on this challenge can go.” .”
Lauren also explained that despite being a Madrid fan growing up, he explained that Arsenal offered a little more flexibility in terms of how he could play.
He continued: “In Madrid it was like you had to do what they said: that's how it is, period. My father is a fan of Madrid, I was always a fan of Sevilla and then also of Madrid, but then another club comes along with a different attitude, no matter how much you liked Madrid, you go to the place where they treat you best and where they offer you the best conditions.
“We noticed the way Dein and Wenger acted. It didn't come to the club, it came to my house. Come to my family, to my house. Come to us.”
Asked if choosing Arsenal over Real Madrid was the best choice he ever made in his career, the full-back added: “Absolutely, without any doubt. Playing with the best players, at an institution like Arsenal, in England , and with the man who for me was the best manager a young player could have.”
While playing with the likes of Iker Casillas, Fernando Hierro, Roberto Carlos, Luis Figo and Raul Gonzalez may have had its benefits, it seems Lauren made the right decision in choosing the Gunners over the Galacticos.
The right-back won two Premier League titles under Wenger and was a vital part of his 2003/04 'Invincibles' team, which won the league without suffering a single defeat – making 32 appearances for the Gunners that season . The footballer also won three FA Cups and two Community Shields with Arsenal before moving to Portsmouth in 2007. He retired in 2010 after a few months at Cordoba.
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