Valencia defender Ivan Helguera has steered clear of the debate over Robinho's decision to quit Real Madrid for Manchester City.

"On these issues we only know half of the story and never will know what really happened, the only one who knew why he wanted to leave was Robinho," said ex-Real defender Helguera.

Asked about David Villa's decision to reject Real, Helguera added: "It's true it's difficult to say 'no' to Real Madrid because they're a big club. But there's also other important clubs like Valencia and sometimes it can be difficult to leave home, even for a club like Real Madrid."