Drenthe: Robinho converted the basement of his house into a mini-nightclub and we went there Real Madrid Enjoyed a brief spell with Los Blancos

Royston Drenthe remains one of the mysteries of a somewhat bizarre period in Real Madrid's history, a time when players like Robinho seemed to fail at the club, yet the Dutchman has revealed details of his time in the Spanish capital, even explaining that the Brazilian turned his basement into a mini-nightclub.

Despite impressing initially at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, the left back found injuries a real problem and his career took somewhat of a nomadic path through Merseyside, Kayseri, Baniyas and Rotterdam.

"I developed a good relationship with Robinho soon after I arrived, he'd converted his basement into a mini-nightclub, and I'd go there," Drenthe detailed in an interview with FourFourTwo.

"I immediately felt at home, everyone gave me a warm welcome.

"Guti was cool with me straight away, and he was the man in Madrid, a legend."

At just 20 years old, the Dutchman had the world at his feet and it wasn't just Los Blancos who were interested in securing his services.

"At the time I heard that 16 clubs were interested in me," he intimated.

"I spoke with Barcelona president Joan Laporta, as well as Real Madrid's director Predrag Mijatovic.

"It felt like I met with almost every high-ranking official at every club, most of them offered me a five-year contract with more or less the same conditions, but as soon as I heard Real Madrid were interested, my mind was made up."

As is the case for many young footballers, the long-standing reputation of Real Madrid throughout the world plays a part in their decision, and it wasn't any different for the Dutch defender.

"As a boy I was fascinated by every relating to the club, there was glamour around Real Madrid, just like the kind you see in the movie 'Goal!'" he admitted.

"It was something I really wanted to be part of.

"It was just magic, we had a lot of good players with youth and experience, from Ruud van Nistelrooy, Guti and Raul to young guys like me, Gonzalo Higuain and Marcelo, it clicked instantly, and in that situation a coach doesn't have much to do."