Ayoze Perez has revealed he rejected the chance to join Champions League side FC Porto in 2014, when he left Tenerife for Tyneside.
The young Spaniard arrived at the gates of St James’ Park for just £1.5million two summers ago, with a number of top European clubs reportedly tracking him – including Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Despite the interest in him, Ayoze was relatively unknown in the world of football and was not expected to play anything more than a bit-part role for Newcastle that season.
Injuries inevitably hit Newcastle’s squad, as they do every season without fail, and Alan Pardew was forced to throw Perez in at the deep end.
Ever since his debut against Manchester City, Ayoze has made 50 appearances for the Magpies, scoring 11 times in the process. The 22-year-old is still living the dream, though he admits his dream almost didn’t come true.
“The truth is I almost signed for Porto!” Perez told The Mirror. “But at that moment Newcastle came and gave me everything I wanted as a person, as a player, everything.
I always dreamed to play in the Premier League, and that made my decision.
“Porto is a huge club, but I wanted to play the Premier League. It is the best one.
“I saw Newcastle as my future because of my dream, the Premier League and the history of the club. Growing up in Tenerife we all knew of Newcastle. I remember them playing Barcelona in the Champions’ League, and their big players.”
