Hernan Crespo reveals he could have signed for Real Madrid on three occasions Real Madrid Never represented Los Blancos in his career

One of the great strikers of the early 2000s was Hernan Crespo, and the Argentine has revealed he could have signed for Real Madrid on three separate occasions.

Having been a star for both Parma and Lazio in Serie A, the former Chelsea goalscorer eventually wound up at Inter to replace Ronaldo Nazario, who had just signed for the Spanish giants.

"In 2002 I was playing for Lazio and the situation was that either Ronaldo or I would go to Madrid," Crespo detailed in an interview with The Tactical Room.

"They took Ronaldo and I replaced him at Inter.

"If Ronaldo had stayed with Inter then I would have signed for Real Madrid."

This proved to be the first chance for Crespo to represent Real Madrid, and the second would come seven years later when Ramon Calderon was trying to negotiate through a difficult final spell with the club.

"The second time came in January 2009, the first season Mourinho was at Inter," Crespo added.

"I was looking to sign for Real Madrid but they offered me a contract for only six months because they had elections. I didn't accept that."

Finally, Crespo had the chance to join Real Madrid in a coaching capacity in the Spanish capital.

"I didn't work for PSG, I worked for Ancelotti," Crespo confirmed.

"I watched matches, made reports and gave him my opinion of the team.

"I did that many times whilst watching the matches on television at home.

"The idea was that I would be his assistant at Real Madrid, we spoke but Florentino Perez wanted to put Zidane there and let's say he was right."