Axel Witsel was the most experienced midfielder seven years ago; chased of Europe. Fruit of a brood of Belgian players who, together with people like Hazard, Lukaku, De Bruyne, Mertens, Origi, Curtois, Naniggolan , revived the Brussels school bringing it back to Ceulemans, Gerets , Pfaff, & # 160; Vandereycken, & # 160; Vercauteren. From the Standard Liege had taken the flight to Lisbon, Benfica shore, becoming after only a man-market season. In 2012 Gazprom’s rubles brought him to Zenit St. Petersburg , commissioned by Luciano Spalletti. But the “all-star” project of the Russians does not lead to exceptional results in the Champions League and, without the Europe that counts, the league in the shadow of the Urals is not what you can # 242; define “top tournament”. What & # 236; Witsel, due also to the high salary guaranteed by Zenit, leaves the radar of the major clubs. Two years ago they remember him in China at the height of the local clubs’ effort to flood the European money market in pursuit of the dream of making the national team competitive at world level. The & # 160; Tianjin Quanjian convinces Witsel to drop the “real” football at the modest sum of 18 million euros per season: January 3rd & 2017; Zenit announces the transfer of the player, born in 1989, who signs a four and a half year contract.
On August 6th last year, for & # 242 ;, here is Axel making bundle and returning to Europe: for 20 million if Borussia Dortmund assures it. Few ask why; of the reverse of the Belgian, after all many have regretted having accepted the Chinese adventure made of a primordial, not very competitive football. The former Inter player Guarin, for example, would have made false papers to go back, which is what Tevez does, despite the age of #; advanced he returns to play at Boca to “feel alive”.
But the choice of Witsel & # 232; more & # 249; serious and profound and revealed it in an interview with Dazn: & # 160; & # 171; My daughter had a very painful gut disease. In the international hospitals present in Tianjin they did not have the equipment to treat it. So I had to decide whether to take her to a Chinese hospital or go to Beijing and go to & # 242; it was a 2 hour drive. The situation was delicate: we had little time available because it was the disease could become dangerous. We then went to one of the Chinese hospitals, but the situation was surreal: we took a small number and waited, as if we were in line at the supermarket. We waited about 3 hours. After that experience I told my wife that after the 2018 World Cup we would be back in Europe. Money is important, but it does not give happiness. & # 187; & # 187;
Witsel also took the opportunity to look back at the possibility; to finish at Juventus: & # 160; & # 171; In 2016 I had the contract expiring with Zenit and I wanted to move to Turin. I had passed medical examinations, only the signature on the contract was missing. I waited all day at the headquarters of Juventus but, at a certain point, Zenit told me to return to Russia. A year ago, when I decided to return from China, I had several offers, I could go to Paris or Manchester , but I would have to wait. For Dortmund instead I was the first choice. In hindsight I was right to come here & # 187;
From: Il Mattino.
DISCLAIMER: This post was automatically translated with Google Translate Services.