Michael Ballack turned down Manchester United in favour of Chelsea as he incorrectly thought Sir Alex Ferguson had lost his winning touch.
The Germany legend, who turns 48 today (September 26), was on the wishlist of all of Europe's top clubs ahead of the 2006 summer transfer window. He was set to leave Bayern Munich after four years with the Bavarian giants.
Ballack ultimately decided to head to the Premier League, despite interest from the likes of Real Madrid and AC Milan. But he felt Chelsea, and not United, were best placed to deliver his main club goal.
"One of the first to show interest were Man United," Ballack told Sky Sports in 2020. "They had not had the best year. Winning the league was one thing but for me it was always a dream to win the Champions League."
At that point, United had gone three years without winning the Premier League, with Arsenal's Invincibles triumph followed by back-to-back titles for the Blues. Ballack felt Fergie's side were therefore heading in the wrong direction.
He continued: "It was not easy to decide with which team I could really attack this trophy, because there are so many good clubs. Man United in these days were not as good as before.
"Chelsea had won the league twice with Jose Mourinho. They had invested in a lot of players, had an amazing squad. Man United are an amazing club with a huge history but having huge ambitions also myself, I chose Chelsea.
"The package was really good, I felt comfortable. London was also an argument to move to a great city. When you’re 29 you have a family, you want to make sure they’re comfortable. I gave the sign to my agent quite early that I wanted to go to Chelsea. They were my preference."
While Ballack would go on to win the title once and lift three FA Cups and one League Cup in his four years in the capital, he would've been more successful with United, who beat Chelsea in the 2008 Champions League final to deny him his dream. The Red Devils won three Premier Leagues in a row after his arrival, as well as two Leagues Cups and a Club World Cup.
Nevertheless, the former midfielder has no regrets about his choice. "The decision to go to Man United or Chelsea at 29 was not something I regret because we won one title less or more," he insisted.
Ballack enjoyed a highly successful career, albeit often being referred to as one of football's biggest losers having lost six major finals, including the 2002 Champions League and World Cup and Euro 2008, and finished runner-up in the league on five occasions.