Former Gladbach star Raffael reveals Borussia Dortmund had concrete interest in signing him
Former Borussia Mönchengladbach player Raffael has revealed that he had the opportunity to join Borussia Dortmund when Thomas Tuchel was head coach.
Raffael enjoyed a stellar career in the Bundesliga and made a total of 290 appearances in the league, scoring 82 goals and assisting a further 52. The attacking midfielder has now stated that Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich both had interest in signing him when he was playing at Borussia Mönchengladbach.
In an interview with Transfermarkt, Raffael said that the interest of Borussia Dortmund was especially concrete. And while the offer was a tempting one, he ultimately decided to stay with the Foals.
"“There were talks with Bayern, but things were even more concrete with Dortmund. Thomas Tuchel really wanted to sign me. I would also have liked to train under Tuchel, however, it was extremely difficult for me to leave Gladbach.”“Why did I decide against the switch in the end? It was a mixture of everything. I felt extremely comfortable in Gladbach and the fans supported me. I also had a coach who trusted me and incredibly talented teammates. To risk everything and maybe end up sitting on the bench? I didn’t want that.”"
Raffael made more than 150 appearances for both Borussia Mönchengladbach and Hertha Berlin, and also had a short loan spell at Schalke 04.
The 38 year old especially enjoyed a special relationship with Lucien Favre, and played under the former Borussia Dortmund head coach at three clubs. Favre was in charge at FC Zürich when Raffael joined them in 2005.
The Brazilian forward then moved to Hertha Berlin in 2008 with Favre as head coach. The duo then reunited for the third time in Gladbach, and led the club to UEFA Champions League qualification.
"“Lucien Favre was like a father and a confidant to me. He has a feel for people and knows what players need to become successful,” Raffael said."
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Raffael spent a total of seven years at Borussia Mönchengladbach before leaving the club in 2020. He called time on his professional playing career last year.