Zlatan Ibrahimovic's agent has told Marca the Sweden international wanted to join Real Madrid after Barcelona because it would have been the "perfect revenge" on Pep Guardiola.
Ibrahimovic left Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan in the summer of 2009 to join Guardiola's Barca, but he lasted just one season at the Camp Nou.
Ibrahimovic, now with Paris Saint-Germain, has regularly criticised Guardiola since, nicknaming him "The Philosopher" and calling him "a coward" while suggesting the Spaniard may be "scared" of him.
The forward eventually joined AC Milan in August 2010, but Ibrahimovic had been eager to reunite with then Real Madrid boss Mourinho.
Asked if Ibrahimovic, now 33, regretted that he had never played for Madrid, agent Mino Raiola said: "I don't think he regrets anything [but] Zlatan wanted to play for Real when he left Barca. It would have been the ideal move -- the perfect revenge against Guardiola."
When asked what went wrong at Barcelona, Raiola said: "Only 'The Philosopher' knows. As a person, [Guardiola's] behaviour was terrible, shocking. He's a great coach. He was calling Zlatan for one year. About 10 times. At Barcelona he told him whatever he needed or wanted he would be helped with. Then all of a sudden he stopped talking to him."
Ibrahimovic has previously alleged that Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi had complained to Guardiola about him because, the Swede said, "I scored more goals than him."
Raiola said he did not know if Ibrahimovic's troubles at Barca had been down to Messi but added: "I remember [then Barcelona director of football] Txiki Begiristain called me in November and told me he wanted to talk with me: 'Look, Messi is upset, he's not happy. He's not scoring many goals and Zlatan has to help him.'
"Ibra said it was fine and agreed. One month later Txiki told me Guardiola was going to change the system in spite of him not agreeing. 'No problem,' I told him. Txiki then tells me there's a problem: 'Messi was upset and went crying to Guardiola and he's going to play through the middle and Guardiola's not going to play two strikers.'
"Pep didn't speak to Zlatan again, not even when he was injured."
He added: "[Ibrahimovic] was more professional than ever and wanted to sign for Real Madrid, but they didn't have the balls at the Bernabeu and no clear plan."
Raiola, who has indicated that he will make no special effort to ensure Juventus star Paul Pogba moves to the Bernabeu, expressed frustration with the way Madrid operate.
"Real Madrid is a political club and not a normal club," he said. "I don't understand the way they do things. It would have been the perfect club for [Ibrahimovic] because he's a great player, he's passionate and because he can do something amazing at any moment. I don't know if it was my fault."
Raiola said Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti, who took Ibrahimovic to PSG in 2012, had wanted the striker at the Bernabeu.
"Ancelotti wanted him and I went to a meeting in Madrid, but [Madrid director general] Jose Angel Sanchez called [PSG president Nasser] Al Khelaifi and cancelled it."
Raiola also said Ibrahimovic, who told ESPN FC last summer that expected to finish his career with the Ligue 1 champions, may yet move on.
"I don't think Ibra will finish his career at PSG," the agent said.