
Jakarta, hitclubapk3 Indonesia
—
Gabriel Han Willhoft-King
, a player of Indonesian descent who played for Manchester City U-21, shared his unforgettable experience when he trained with the first team under Pep Guardiola.
Willhoft-King expressed his mixed feelings, between admiration and disappointment when he first trained with Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland at Man City.
“I was amazed when I was called by Guardiola for the first time. It was an extraordinary experience. You can see firsthand how high the level of players like De Bruyne, Haaland are. They are the best in the world,” said Willhoft-King, quoted from
The Guardian
.
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“But on the other hand, you also realize that they are still ordinary people. They joke around, reprimand each other if someone makes a mistake,” added Willhoft-King.
Even though he admires the ability of Man City’s main players, Willhoft-King realizes that training with the first team is very difficult.
“Training with the first team… well, we just chased the ball like dogs for half an hour to 60 minutes,” said Willhoft-King.
“It’s not a pleasant experience, especially when you have to pressure players like De Bruyne, Gündogan or Foden. You can’t get close to them,” Willhoft-King added.
Willhoft-King is in the spotlight because of his surprising decision to retire early from football by officially leaving Man City U-21.
The decision to retire early from the world of football came after he felt that his routine as a professional footballer did not bring him happiness.
“I don’t enjoy it. I don’t know what the cause is, maybe it’s because of the monotonous environment. Practicing, going home, and not doing anything. At that time, I felt bored. Now, going to college and living more actively makes me feel more enthusiastic. I study, play for the university’s first team, hang out with friends,” said Willhoft-King.
Willhoft-King added that although he still loves football, he feels more interested in exploring the world of academia.
“I always felt less enthusiastic about football. Don’t get me wrong, I still like it. But I feel like I can do more things outside of football. I feel like I waste a lot of time just on training and matches,” said Willhoft-King.
[Gambas:hitclubapk3 Video]
(rhr/rhr/nva)
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