Robert Pires has revealed it was his love of football and not money why he ended up joining Aston Villa.
Veteran midfielder keen to win some silverware at Villa
Robert Pires has revealed it was his love of football and not money why he ended up joining Aston Villa.
The 37-year-old former Arsenal star is back in the English top flight after four years in Spain with Villarreal.
The midfielder, who signed a six-month deal with Villa, made his debut as a second-half substitute during last weekend's 2-0 defeat at Blackburn.
But the player insists that money was not a factor in him putting off retirement and he is determined to win silverware under manager Gerard Houllier.
Europe
He told
The Sun: "It's the love of football, not money. I've earned enough of it and if I had wanted more I would have gone to Qatar.
"I wanted to stay in Europe and my only possibility was England. They don't look at your age here.
"It's tiring to hear people saying that you're fried! OK, I'm not as quick as before, but football isn't just about speed.
"The prime example of that is Javier Zanetti at Inter - he is four months older than me. Honestly, what's the problem?
"I'm still hungry and I want to win a trophy by the way. Either the FA Cup or the League Cup."
Dream
Pires admitted it would have been a 'beautiful dream' to return to the Gunners after spending the summer training with Arsene Wenger's men.
The Frenchman, who won two Premier League titles and three FA Cups with the North London giants, admitted: "I never thought I would re-sign for Arsenal.
"It would have been a beautiful dream but things were clear between Wenger and I."
