Kaka: I snubbed Manchester City because I wasn't convinced it would work in 2009... but it would be a different story now

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Kaka has revealed how close he came to making a world record move to Manchester City in 2009.

The Premier Club had agreed a fee with Milan and offered the Brazilian midfielder a huge pay rise.

But Kaka decided to snub the offer because 'it was safer to stay at Milan' before agreeing to sign for Real Madrid in a £60million deal.

Brazilian midfielder Kaka rejected a then world record move to Manchester City in 2009

'Negotiations went very far indeed,' Kaka, aged 35, said in the November issue of FourFourTwo magazine.

'It came to the point where all of the numbers and the finer details had been discussed. The wages I had been offered were much, much higher than what I was earning with Milan.

'I found myself wondering what my life playing in England would be like, what my routine at this new club would be, how difficult it would be for my kids and my wife to move home.

'All of these thoughts were swirling inside my head.

'I'd absolutely no idea that City were interested in signing me until they'd actually made their official offer to Milan.

'I came to the conclusion that it was not quite the right time for me to go to City, and the main reason was the uncertainty over the squad-building process.'

Kaka has just announced the end of his playing career after three years in Major League Soccer

Kaka admits it would be a different story now.

He added: 'Nowadays, Manchester City is a much more solid club, so it would be an easier decision if I had to make it today. 

'Anyone who receives an offer from them now won't suffer from the same headaches that I experienced nearly a decade ago. 

'To put it simply, if my negotiations with them had taken place this year, my decision would have been very different, that's for sure. '