On July 27, Yaya Sanogo, former Arsenal star and current goal scorer in the Qingdao Red Lions' squad in the Chinese League One, gave a rundown of his rich soccer career in an interview with Eurosport.
Sanogo laments, "After three years in Toulouse, the epidemic struck and I was quarantined for a full 14 days, isolated from the rest of the world. At the end of the quarantine, I moved to Middlesbrough only to be told that my shoulder needed surgery and a three-month recovery period awaited me. At that point, my contract was in crisis and on my return I consulted a shoulder specialist. The specialist's diagnosis showed that there was nothing wrong with me and that it was an inspection error by Middlesbrough. I was devastated when the news came out because the other teams thought I was seriously injured. The media's misreporting of my failure to pass a medical caused teams interested in me to drop out and my career almost came to a standstill. I was 27 years old that year.
I sometimes say to myself that my soccer career has come to an end. I remember when I was 16 years old, a prophet asserted that in a few years' time the main forward line of the French national team would be the combination of Benzema and Sanogo. However, I am a strong believer in myself, I never want to give up and I am eager to witness the end of the story. At times, it was really tough. During my time with Auxerre, I wanted to give up for a while but never really did, which allowed me to grow both on the pitch and in life. How many people would have chosen to stop moving forward on those days when I couldn't play, on those days when I was injured?
Currently, Sanogo's contract with Qingdao Red Lions will expire in November. Facing the upcoming transfer window, he said, "Several clubs have shown interest in me during this transfer window. Even though I am 31 years old and have been through thick and thin, I feel renewed and energized! Today, I just want to sweat it out on the pitch. I will choose the opportunity that appeals to me the most, both on a competitive and financial level. I am open to all possibilities in Europe, Asia and beyond."
