"During the last few years at Chelsea I wasn't so happy"

Ricardo Carvalho has spoken of his old club ahead of this weeks Champions League games and has spoken of the build up to him leaving the club, taking up a new challenge and revealed he is still in contact with his old team mates at Stamford Bridge.

He said:

"I can understand why some criticised the move. I was 32 and I'd been at Chelsea a long time. I had a physical problem, which started because I was not given time to recover fully. I was out for longer than is normal for a muscular problem. There was pressure, I wanted to play and I got injured again. It was not properly healed and I had a relapse.

But I was convinced I'd succeed. I knew I'd play well here. It's a different game and I wanted to prove I was in shape physically and mentally. It would have been easy to stay at Chelsea, where people respected me and moving on meant starting over again.

But I needed a change, the challenge — and it was Real Madrid. During the last few years at Chelsea I wasn't so happy; I felt saturated. I needed to try something different, get some impetus. I'd become too comfortable. That's not a good thing. I had to show I was still a good player.

I talk to the Chelsea players. Whenever they say they've had a bad game, I say: 'Nah, you're strong still.'

They're the best team in England and I know what it would mean to them to reach the final."

(Source: Goal)

Without question, at some stage in his Chelsea career, Ricardo Carvalho was the best centre half in the country if not Europe and the World. He was an important part of our history and will remain so having been a part of the side that brought the title back to Chelsea after 50 years.

I wrote an article about Carvalho when he left the club called : "With a heavy heart we bid farewell and thank you!" and stated then that in the last couple of seasons at the club, along with him stating he wanted to leave, it was the right time to let him go as the pace of the game was catching up with him.

I stand by that now and it will be interesting to see just how well he does in the two games against Spurs tonight and next week. He says he wasn't happy at the club but maybe that also had something to do with the form of Alex next to JT.

No matter what, Carvalho is a legend and will always be remembered here at the Bridge.

KTBFFH

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