I called my teammates 'lower-level players' but Man City still gave me what Real Madrid couldn't

When you're looking to sign a player, chances are you'd stay away from anyone with an attitude problem who didn't really want to sign for your club.

Nicolas Anelka was a Champions League and European Championship winner who had scored goals for some of Europe's biggest clubs.

City just didn't sign players like him back in 2002, but they couldn't turn down the opportunity to sign a genuine superstar - e ven if he did come with an almighty amount of baggage.

Anelka had left PSG as a teenager to join Arsenal as he wanted more playing time. His form at Highbury prompted Real Madrid to bring him to the Spanish capital, but Anelka didn't suit Madrid and Madrid didn't suit Anelka.

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Despite playing a starring role in their 2000 Champions League win, public battles with the Spanish media and the Real hierarchy ensured a return to PSG after just a year.

"I understood what being a star was like and I hated it," he later reflected on his time at Madrid, taking exception to the attention placed on his private life and the expectations of immediate success associated with being a No.9 for Real.

The transfer fee to take him back to Paris was funded by Canal+, PSG's former owners, and sponsors Nike covered much of his reported £35,000-per-week wages. He would only last 18 months of his six-year contract back at the Parc des Princes, returning to the Premier League with a loan spell at Liverpool.

There, Anelka described Liverpool as the 'shoe that fits' as he relished the opportunity to score goals and live his life without being constantly followed by paparazzi -