Garay: The best decision of my career was to leave Real Madrid

The Valencia defender has been speaking about his departure from Los Blancos in 2011. Ezequiel Garay says the best decision of his career ...

The Valencia defender has been speaking about his departure from Los Blancos in 2011.

Ezequiel Garay says the best decision of his career was leaving Real Madrid.

The Argentine defender joined Los Blancos in 2008 before departing three years later for Benfica.

Following a spell at Zenit St. Petersburg, he returned to Spain this summer when he signed for Valencia.

"I respect Real Madrid a lot as an institution, but the best decision of my career was to leave the club," the 30-year-old said in an interview with El Desmarque.

"What a player wants to do is play games and I was not playing."

"I am not sorry about it -- you just have to see the three-and-a-half years I experienced after Madrid at Benfica, which were spectacular."

Garay's first year with Madrid was spent back on loan with Racing Santander, the club they signed him from, and he then made 31 appearances across two seasons at the Bernabeu.

He then played for Benfica for three years and Zenit for two before this year's transfer to Valencia.