“I don’t feel comfortable”: €28m signing was already unhappy at Bayern Munich after just two months
Medhi Benatia was unhappy at Bayern Munich. He realised it quickly.
"I wanted to leave after the first year and said I wanted a move," the 39-year-old revealed on Canal+. "I wanted to return to Italy. Juventus, Inter and other clubs were interested."
After good seasons at Udinese Calcio and an outstanding year at Roma, Benatia joined Bayern Munich in 2014 for a €28 million transfer fee. Under then-coach Pep Guardiola, he alternated between the starting line-up and the bench. He competed for a place in central defence with Jerome Boateng, David Alaba, Dante and Javi Martinez.
Juventus eventually took him on loan in 2016. A year later, the Serie A record champions signed the centre-back permanently for just under €17 million.
By his own account, Benatia began to doubt after only a few weeks whether moving to Munich had been the right decision. "After two months in Germany, I said to my wife: 'You know, I'm not sure I made the right decision here. I don't feel comfortable,'" Benatia said. He missed Italy, which had been "a second home" to him.
In his two years at Bayern Munich, Benatia made 46 appearances, scoring three goals and providing three assists. He won two league titles and one DFB Cup with Bayern Munich.
Medhi Benatia won numerous titles with Juventus
At Juventus, Benatia won two Scudetti, the Coppa Italia twice and the Italian Super Cup once with the Old Lady. He said "the culture and discipline" were the most important things at Juventus.
He left Juventus at the start of 2019 and joined Al-Duhail in Qatar for an €8.6 million transfer fee. He stayed there for two years and ended his playing career in 2021 after a brief spell at Fatih Karagümrük in Turkey.
Now working as a club official, Benatia was sporting director at Olympique Marseille until the summer of this year.
