The playmaker made 52 league appearances - netting 11 times - after joining the Madridistas from Ajax in 2007.
However, following the expensive acquisitions of Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Alvaro Arbeloa and Xabi Alonso, Real were open to offers for Dutch sextuplet Sneijder, Rafael van der Vaart, Arjen Robben, Roysten Drenthe, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.
Huntelaar joined AC Milan earlier this summer, while Robben eventually agreed a deal with Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.
But Sneijder - who has been capped 53 times by his country - remained adament that he wished to remain in Madrid and fight for his place, despite being linked Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa, Manchester United and Inter Milan.
With Real keen on selling the Dutchman in order to reduce their squad size to 25 players, he eventually agreed to join Jose Mourinho's outfit, making his debut in the 4-0 trouncing of city rivals AC Milan at the San Siro.
But the midfielder has revealed he did not choose to move with next year's World Cup in mind, insisting he genuinely believes he can thrive in Serie A.
“I didn’t make my choice for the World Cup,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“I did it for the future. I chose Inter because I can feel like a protagonist. I was one among many in Madrid. And they treated me like a child.
“I am under the impression that the coach does not count for much in Madrid. Real are in a world of their own: money has never been a problem for them and they treat people without respect.
“But I am proud to have been part of Real Madrid’s history.”
