Departing Bayern Munich legend Arjen Robben explained that politics at Real Madrid forced him to leave the club and join the German giants.

It was believed that the growth of superstar Cristiano Ronaldo led to Robben getting phased phasing out of the team but the Dutchman pointed out that there were more contributing factors.

“It became difficult for me because of the change of president at Real,” Robben told Goal and SPOX.

“I actually felt very comfortable there and played very well, but when politics come into play and you do not get a real chance, you have to make a decision whether you want to keep fighting or to go and continue your career elsewhere.

“It was not just Ronaldo. Perez returned as the club’s president. He then bought Ronaldo, but also Kaka, [Karim] Benzema and Xabi Alonso.

“Real spent so much money and we were told that they needed to make a bit of money back on outgoing transfers.

“For me it was a shame, because I had a very good relationship with the former coach Manuel Pellegrini. In addition, I had perhaps the best pre-season of my career.”