Former Sheffield Wednesday player Jose Semedo told the WTID podcast how he once had a contract offer on the table from Barnsley but opted to move to Hillsborough instead.
The Portuguese holding midfielder joined the Owls in 2011.
He was originally on the books of Charlton Athletic, but with his contract at The Valley expiring he had offers elsewhere including Wednesday’s Yorkshire rivals Barnsley.
But a game against Wednesday during his Charlton days swung it for him.
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Speaking to the Wednesday ‘Til I die podcast, Semedo says he had never experienced an atmosphere like the one he faced at Hillsborough and knew he wanted to join the Owls.
“At the end of the season I had a phone call from Gary Megson, and he came to London and I told him yes. I stopped [contract] negotiations with Charlton. I had Barnsley in the Championship who offered me a contract. But I said to myself, ‘No, I need to go to Sheffield Wednesday’ because I need to feel that atmosphere [at Hillsborough],” Semedo explained.
Wednesday were in League One at the time following a poor campaign.
Barnsley, meanwhile, were in the Championship but were fighting relegation most seasons, ultimately going down in the 2013-14 campaign while the Owls were on the up.
Semedo helped Wednesday gain promotion back to the Championship in his first full season, while winning the League One PFA Fans’ Player of the Year award.
Now aged 36, Semedo went on to play over 160 games for Wednesday in all competitions and helped the Owls reach the Championship playoff final in the 2015-16 campaign.
The former Portugal U21 international remains a popular figure at Hillsborough, with the supporters having their own Semedo song while dedicating an away day to him.
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