Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Ben Hayward

Dani Ceballos says leaving Real Madrid for Arsenal ‘was the right decision'

Arsenal midfielder Dani Ceballos says he is happy he left Real Madrid to move on loan fo the north London club in the summer.

Ceballos saw his appearances limited under Zinedine Zidane in 2017-18 and decided to join the Gunners on a temporary deal for the current campaign after the Frenchman returned to the Santiago Bernabeu in March.

Asked in a press conference at Spain's training base on Tuesday if he had any regrets about that decision, given that Madrid have had injuries in midfield this term, Ceballos said: "Real Madrid are in pretty good shape. I know there are a few injured.

"[But] I'm at Arsenal now, I feel pretty good. I was clear that I wanted to leave. Leaving Madrid was the right decision. Right now, I am where I want to be and I'm very happy.

"My idea was to leave, to play and to enjoy football. In the two previous seasons, I hadn't done that. It was the right decision. The fact that I'm here with the Spanish national team shows that."

The 23-year-old is in the Spain squad for the Euro 2020 qualifiers away to Norway and Sweden over the next week and admits he hopes to be involved in the continental competition next summer, along with the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

"I could play the Euros and the Olympic Games," he said. "It would be a dream for me to be in Tokyo."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.