The downfall of Real Madrid 'galactico' Royston Drenthe: I thought I was a god, but I also liked to party

Royston Drenthe's career didn't quite go to plan. Signing for Real Madrid in 2007 generated a lot of excitement, but he never lived up to the expectations.

Now 35, Drenthe is playing with Racing Merida, a side that even some of the more knowledgable football fans could be forgiven for not knowing of.

"I wasn't ready to be a professional," Drenthe confessed to La Gazzetta dello Sport. "I thought I was a god, but I also liked to party and if you want to be at the top then you can't combine those two things.

Drenthe then discussed that 2007 move to Real Madrid, and knows that he did things wrong.

"It was 2007 and I was 20 years old," Drenthe remembered. "I was at the height of my career. It was a crazy feeling and it's hard to explain.

"It was my dream to walk into that dressing room. They are memories I'll never forget and will always have in my heart.

"There's the life of a player and then there's the personal life. You can mix them up at points. The most difficult thing for me was understanding that I had to change my life immediately.

"Now I realise that I didn't do things right, I made mistakes. "Life is short and you have to be professional."

Drenthe, despite everything, says that he "had a dream come true" by joining Real Madrid and highlighted some individuals for being the most helpful.

"Raul was a real example," Drenthe added. "Michel Salgado was like a brother and Guti was my father.

"I don't want to say my career was. disaster. I had a lot of good moments. I was very happy, I played for the best club of all time - Real Madrid. Nobody can take that away from me.

"I'll always have Real Madrid in my heart. I'm a Real Madrid fan."

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