Everything in life has an end and when the curtain draws close it’s either joy, agony, relief or a sad goodbye especially in the life of a footballer.
For a country like Belgium that has produced a lot of talents with the likes of Eden Hazard, Kelvin De Bruyne, Vincent Kompany and Romelu Lukaku making up the golden generation, it’s indeed sad that a fascinating talent like ex-Chelsea wonderkid Charly Musonda had to retire at just 28.
Musonda said in an emotional video shared via Rising Ballers : “I’ve got a big announcement today.
“It’s not easy but it’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time. After reflecting on my experiences and who I am, I’ve realised I want to live with purpose to inspire and motivate others. I’m announcing that I’m retiring from professional football.”
Those were words from a heart full of pains and regret for a boy that broke through at Chelsea when he was 15 and many thought he would go onto do great things in the world of football but he was plagued by injuries throughout his whole career and that weighed heavily on him.
“The exit (from Chelsea) killed me. It killed me mentally. It was the worst thing.
“I was obviously with the reserves at that time so the plan was to pick up with the reserves, get some training in and if there were a few games where I could fit in toward the back end of the season, that was the plan.
“Because I literally had just gotten better. I came back in December-January and was training with the reserves.
“Feeling amazing, happy to be back—obviously it was a long way for me to be fully fit, but just being able to train was amazing.
“The first team was doing really well. It was COVID, so the buildings were split and you wouldn’t really see the first team.
“Then toward the back end of the season in the car park I ran into Thomas Tuchel, the manager.
“They were getting ready for the semi-final of the Champions League and he just said, ‘How are you feeling? How are things going?.
“It was my first time meeting him. He said, ‘I’m looking forward to seeing you back and I said, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll be back for pre-season.
“Because in my mind, it was always pre-season and I’d be back with the first team and we’d see from there.
“So I came back for pre-season and that’s where things got tricky. That was the end of my time at Chelsea.”
Musonda is firmly focused on the next phase of his career as he is keen to help younger players excel.
“I want to do things with purpose. I want to inspire people and create opportunities.
“I’m still young but I want to help players who don’t have the chance to showcase their talent.
“I know how it feels and with football changing so much, many players never get the opportunity to show what they can do, I want to make a difference.”
Mosonda joined Chelsea in 2012 as a 15-year-old he went on to play for Real Betis, Vitesse Arnhem, Celtic, Levante and last season at Anorthosis Famagusta.
