Lucio joined Inter Milan six years later and has become a key player for the club.
He told the Corriere dello Sport: “In the summer of 2003 it was almost a done deal. Roma had already signed the contracts with Bayer Leverkusen, but there was no agreement with me.
“Everyone assumed I would accept and the director of sport at the time, Franco Baldini, announced the deal before even speaking to me.
“When we did meet up, Roma had offered less money than I earned at Leverkusen. I could not accept.”
