Carlos Tevez has opened up about his controversial departure from Manchester United and his move to Manchester City in 2009. The former striker claims that Sir Alex Ferguson failed to keep his promise to make his United contract permanent, leaving him disappointed with the club.
Tevez spent two seasons at Old Trafford on loan before joining City. His decision to cross the Manchester divide shocked United supporters and added fuel to one of English football’s fiercest rivalries.
The Argentine forward has now revisited the story in an interview on Rio Ferdinand Presents. He explained how conversations with Ferguson shaped his expectations and why he eventually decided to leave United.
Tevez also admitted that his move to City carried a personal meaning after his difficult experience at Old Trafford. Although he enjoyed success with United, he felt the club did not give him the same commitment he had shown on the pitch.
Carlos Tevez Claims Ferguson Promised a Permanent Contract
Tevez initially joined Manchester United on a two-year loan deal. According to the striker, he believed the club would make his transfer permanent after the first year if he performed well.
He claims Ferguson personally assured him that he would remain at Old Trafford.
“Fergie said to me, ‘Carlos, now I will pay for your contract and you will stay in Manchester,’” Tevez recalled.
The striker said Ferguson later discussed United’s plan to sign Dimitar Berbatov. According to Tevez, the manager told him not to worry about the new arrival because the club would still make his own contract permanent.
However, United never completed the deal. The club did not agree to pay the transfer fee needed to secure Tevez’s permanent move.
He remained at United for another season before leaving in 2009.
Tevez believes this decision changed his relationship with the club. He expected United to honour the assurances he says Ferguson had given him, but the situation developed differently.
His account offers his perspective on the events behind one of the most talked-about transfers in the Manchester rivalry.
Why Carlos Tevez Felt Ferguson Pushed Him Out
Tevez also explained why he became frustrated during his final months at Manchester United.
He believes Ferguson had around six months to fulfil the promise he recalled. Instead, the striker said he began spending more time on the bench.
Tevez suspected that United wanted to reduce his transfer value rather than complete a permanent deal.
“Ferguson had until six months to keep his promise. But he didn’t. Instead, he started putting me on the bench,” Tevez said.
He added that he felt the manager was trying to push him out of the club.
“In my mind, he was starting to push me aside so my value would go down. That hurt me the most,” Tevez explained.
These claims remain Tevez’s personal account of the situation. They offer insight into his feelings at the time, but they do not establish Ferguson’s intentions.
The striker also acknowledged that many supporters did not know what had happened behind the scenes.
“I think people don’t know what really happened between Ferguson and me, including our conversations and the issues behind the scenes,” he said.
His latest comments help explain why he viewed his departure as more than a routine transfer decision.
Rio Ferdinand Shows Sympathy for His Former Teammate
Rio Ferdinand, who interviewed Tevez for his programme, showed sympathy for the striker’s experience.
Ferdinand understood why the situation had left Tevez disappointed. He also suggested that United lost an important player when the Argentine moved to City.
United enjoyed considerable success during Tevez’s time at Old Trafford. The striker helped the team win the Premier League and the Champions League before his departure.
However, his relationship with the club ended in frustration.
Tevez said he had given everything to United but did not feel that the club had returned the same level of loyalty.
“For me, it was a difficult time, Rio. I felt I had given my heart to Manchester United, but I didn’t feel the same from them,” he said.
His words show that the experience affected him beyond his role as a footballer. He believed he had built a strong connection with United, making the end of his time there particularly painful.
For Ferdinand, the story also offered a reminder of how relationships between players and clubs can influence major career decisions.
Carlos Tevez Describes Manchester City Move as Revenge
Tevez’s transfer to Manchester City in 2009 became one of the defining moments in the rivalry between the two clubs.
Moving directly from United to City was always likely to attract attention. The fact that Tevez left after a period of success at Old Trafford made the transfer even more controversial.
The striker later added to the tension when he celebrated City’s 2012 Premier League title by holding a banner that read “RIP Fergie”, aimed at the former United manager.
Tevez has now explained the personal meaning behind his decision to join City.
He recalled enjoying his time at United, particularly the club’s Premier League and Champions League triumphs. However, he felt his situation changed after United brought in new players.
Tevez insisted that he continued to perform as he had before, but his frustration grew during his second season.
By the second month of that campaign, he said he no longer wanted to remain in the same situation.
After leaving United, he found a new home at City and became part of the club’s rise to the top of English football.
“I had an incredible time at United. For me, the other team, City, was like revenge. I didn’t get back what I had given,” Tevez said.
His comments suggest that the move represented a chance to prove himself elsewhere after feeling let down by United.
Tevez’s Manchester United Exit Remains a Major Football Story
More than a decade after the transfer, Tevez’s departure remains a memorable chapter in Manchester football history.
His move to City changed the dynamic between the two clubs and became a symbol of their growing rivalry.
The striker’s latest interview also highlights the personal side of football transfers. Contract negotiations, playing time and relationships with managers can shape a player’s decisions as much as success on the pitch.
Tevez enjoyed major achievements with United, yet he left feeling disappointed by how his time at the club ended. His account places Ferguson’s reported assurances at the centre of that frustration.
Ferdinand’s response also shows that former teammates may view the story differently from supporters who remember only the controversial transfer.
Tevez has since moved into coaching. His most recent managerial role, according to the supplied report, was with Argentine club Talleres.
His playing career may be over, but his story continues to attract interest because it combines personal disappointment, major trophies and one of football’s fiercest rivalries.
Ultimately, Tevez’s move to Manchester City was about more than changing clubs. In his own words, it was also a response to an experience at United that left him feeling his loyalty had not been returned.
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