Robinho says a dispute between Chelsea and Real Madrid stopped him moving to west London.
The Brazilian featured for Los Blancos between 2005-08 until he was sold to Manchester City for £32.5. One of Sheikh Mansour's first big signings, he went on to score 14 goals in 41 games for the Sky Blues.
However, the 34-year-old has revealed he preferred a move to Stamford Bridge and only Madrid's frustration with Chelsea saw him join City.
"My main goal was to move to Chelsea – Big Phil [Scolari] had said I could make the difference for him as his squad, according to him, was not creative enough," Robinho told FourFourTwo.
"But Real Madrid had fallen out with Chelsea – they didn't like them selling shirts with my name on before the deal had been done. I am pretty sure that this error was one of the main reasons why the transfer failed, as it was a matter of pride for Real Madrid.
"And they were also reluctant to let me move to a club that was playing in the Champions League the same season – Chelsea were, but City weren't.
"I moved to a great club and they welcomed me in the best way. I had one-and-a-half years of joy in Manchester, despite the city being a lot colder than Madrid!"
