Dublin – Carlos Tevez has announced he will not seek a new contract at Manchester City when his current deal expires next year.
Speaking to the media in Argentina, Tevez said that he would have preferred to be playing for Boca Juniors against River Plate rather than facing Fulham on Saturday and that he plans to return home in the summer of 2014. Playing for Boca Juniors, where he began his career as a 16-year-old, would have obvious appeal for Tevez, who turns 29 next month.
“I have a year left on my contract and Manchester City want to sign me for two more seasons,” he said. “However, Boca's president has said the door is always open for me to rejoin them and I'm dying to pull their shirt on once more.
“I want to end my career there. It is my dream and that of my family. I'd love to be playing for them against River Plate. It would be better than playing against Fulham.”
This time last year Tevez was back in Argentina in the wake of his spectacular falling-out with the Manchester City manager, Roberto Mancini, after failing to warm up against Bayern Munich in the Champions League .
Two months beforehand, with Argentina hosting the Copa America, Tevez had missed the penalty in the shoot-out with Uruguay that led to their elimination at the quarter-final stage. He admitted that he contemplated retirement.
“I had lost the desire to play and spent a lot of time crying in my room,” he said. “One after the other, bad things happened. I suffered psychologically and I did not want anything more to do with football.
“I am much better now and am winning people over because I began the season well, have lost weight and can run faster. I still don't like being substituted but at least I understand the manager's reasons.
“I used to call Mancini every name under the sun but now I understand he does things for the good of the team.” – The Independent