Daniel Van Buyten believes joining Manchester City in January 2004 was the only bad choice he made in his career.
At the time, the defender featured for Ligue 1 side Marseille but found himself surplus to requirements following the return of Jose Anigo to the senior side.
Van Buyten opted to join City on loan for the remainder of the season with David Sommeil heading in the other direction.
The Belgian managed just six appearances during his short stint on Eastlands and admitted the move was a bad choice for his career.
However, he insisted he did not regret his decision and revealed he rejected the chance to join Manchester United one season earlier.
"It’s probably the only bad choice I made in my career," he said during an interview with Sport/Foot in Belgium.
"It’s not a regret, but I wasn’t ready for England.
"I was too happy at Marseille. I had a house in Cassis with a view on the beach. For the first time, when my parents came to visit, they were on holiday. Just to see them happy, I could have stayed my entire career at Marseille.
"That’s also why I turned down the chance to go to Juventus and Manchester United a year earlier."
Van Buyten returned to Marseille after his loan spell ended but was sold to Hamburg in Germany.
He later joined Bayern Munich and made over 200 appearances for the Bundesliga giants before announcing his retirement.
