‘I heard things that you should not hear as a footballer’ – Cult hero opens up on ‘uncomfortable’ transfer to Everton
EVERTON cult hero Royston Drenthe has revealed the bizarre circumstances behind his move to Goodison Park.
The 37-year-old joined the Toffees on loan from Real Madrid in 2011.
Drenthe found the net just three minutes into his debut against Fulham, immediately endearing himself to the home faithful.
But his time on Merseyside fell apart after he was lambasted by manager David Moyes for being late to training.
The Dutchman has revealed his agent wasn’t even able to attend the meeting as Real discussed terms with the Toffees.
An assistant was sent in his place, leaving Drenthe to sit in on the negotiations.
Drenth told Soccernews.nl: “My agent at the time couldn’t be there, so one of his right-hand men came to fix the deal.
“He had to do that together with me.
“So now I was there myself, and with a stranger too.”
Players usually leave negotiations to agents – and Drenthe admits he heard things “not meant for his ears.”
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He continued: “Practically speaking, I heard all the details, ins and outs that were probably not meant for my ears.
“It was a bit uncomfortable. I also heard the management fee, that kind of thing.
“You could also see from his actions that he was not at ease because I also heard things that you should not hear as a footballer.
“Look, agents do their job too. But they are often things that are not for our ears.
“They do act very transparent, but in most cases they are not.”
“They have been able to eat well from this transfer, yes, I am convinced of that!”
Drenthe’s career never fully recovered from his stint with the Toffees.
He later played for both Sheffield Wednesday and Reading, but fell into obscurity before retiring in 2023.
Lost millions
Renowned for his off-field antics, Drenthe spent five years at Madrid and won both the LaLiga title and Spanish Super Cup while being Cristiano Ronaldo’s team-mate.
But he admits to losing millions on parties, holidays and fast cars.
Drenthe recently told Dutch TV: “I felt like a god at Real Madrid, playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, and I am proud of it.
“But I also liked to party hard in this world of glitter and glamour. I used to drink a lot even though I had to train the next day.
“In my first year with them I earned £1.4million, and received another £430,000 as a signing-on bonus.
“But I am not a rich man. I squandered the money on holidays and nice cars.”
Drenthe’s life away from the pitch has often overshadowed his efforts on it.
He has enjoyed work as a rapper, actor, TV pundit, healthcare worker and fashion shopkeeper.
His on-field career included an initial retirement in 2016, before returning in 2018.
The shock decision to retire came after spells in Turkey and Abu Dhabi which saw him go unpaid.
He told SunSport in 2018: “The situation was repeating and repeating,” he tells SunSport.
“No matter which country I was, which city, it didn’t change.
“I was like ‘I’m leaving, I don’t want your money no more, I’m going’.
“Then it would happen again. So after, I was just like ‘f*** it.'”