'I'm so happy I'm on the sofa' - Leicester City title-winner Robert Huth opens up on retirement

[davieG]

“I was young and stupid” – Retired defender wouldn’t do Chelsea transfer again, ‘lucky’ how things worked out

By Tom Coast - 

  

10th February 2020

When someone talks about Robert Huth, the first thing that comes to mind will likely be the fact he was a key member of Claudio Ranieri’s Premier League winning Leicester City side.

However, it’s easy to forget the German centre-back had been in England for 15 years before that point, moving from Union Berlin to Chelsea back in 2001 as a 16-year-old.

He eventually managed to break into the first-team, making 62 appearances for the Stamford Bridge side before being sold to Middlesbrough in 2006.

A move to Stoke City followed three years later, before a loan to Leicester City for the second half of the 2014-15 season led to a permanent move to the King Power Stadium in the summer of 2015.

If asked about their careers after their retirement, most former players would tell you they wouldn’t change anything, but Huth isn’t like everyone else.

Speaking to Der Tagesspiegel, the 35-year-old was asked why he moved to England and Chelsea at such a young age.

 

He replied: “I was young and stupid. There was actually no one particular reason. It was more like: why not? Money definitely didn’t matter. It wasn’t lucrative at all in the first few years. You don’t know how it goes. I didn’t think much about it either. Chelsea FC. That sounded good.

“They’d won the European Cup shortly before, Marcel Desailly played there, the 1998 World Champion. I just wanted to try it out. I think that was also the good thing: that I didn’t have any negative thoughts. Otherwise, I probably would have gone wrong”.

Then came the fateful question: would he do it again?

Huth said: “No, not without training, not without help. If my boy had an offer from, say, Spain, I would sit down with him first and explain to him how it really works. The reality looks like this: in the end, 1% of all youth players in the big academies can make a living from football.

“Nobody tells you that, of course. Nobody goes through the negative scenarios with you. It would be normal if you think about children”.

The German admits he was ‘lucky’ for things to go the way they did, and has ‘no idea’ what his life would look like today if he hadn’t succeeded in his football endeavours since he ‘never had a plan B’.

http://sportwitness.co.uk/i-young-stupid-retired-defender-wouldnt-chelsea-transfer-lucky-things-worked/

 

 

 

 

[StriderHiryu]

Huth is a really refreshing ex footballer. You get the sense that he’s fundamentally just a very nice bloke. 

 

Hope he has a very enjoyable life and I’ll always give him a cheer if he comes to see us play again. I’ll never forget his performance away to Man City!

[The_77]

2 hours ago, StriderHiryu said:

Huth is a really refreshing ex footballer. You get the sense that he’s fundamentally just a very nice bloke. 

 

Hope he has a very enjoyable life and I’ll always give him a cheer if he comes to see us play again. I’ll never forget his performance away to Man City!

I got to chat with him for a few minutes during the summer after we won the league and again this summer-- you're absolutely right. Both times were in the States and I jokingly asked him if he thinks he should have come to MLS for a season after he's gotten to see a bit of life over here, and he said, "F*** that! I'm retired!" So hopefully his life is going how you've wished for him.

 

I'll also never forget his performance at Man City-- I popped into a betting shop the day before and put a few quid on him to score!

Edited 10 February 2020 by The_77

[Strokes]

Best thing he did in the title winning season was boot the ball at Callum Wilson’s head, absolute legend.

[davieG]

“I didn’t want to go to training” – PL winner recalls final year at Leicester, football ‘doesn’t matter anymore’
By Tom Coast - 10th February 2020
 

Lifting the Premier League trophy at the age of 32 with Leicester City, there was a time when it seemed Robert Huth would keep on playing forever.

However, just two years later, the former German international called it quits on his career after walking away from the King Power Stadium.

Having spent six years at Stoke City before his move to Leicester, the player returned to the bet365 Stadium to undergo the 2018-19 preseason with his former side, but decided to retire before the start of the campaign.

A year and a half later, the now ex-centre-back is studying for a sport directorship degree, but as for the sport itself, he couldn’t care less.

He told Der Tagesspiegel: “I’m no longer particularly interested in football. I hardly watch football anymore. Don’t ask me about results! A few years ago, football was the only thing that mattered. Now it doesn’t matter anymore”.

 

This isn’t a sudden thing for the ex-Leicester City player, he saw it coming.

He continued: “It’s not surprising because it was a slow process. In the last year of my career, I actually didn’t want to go to training anymore. I tried again at Stoke, but when I was injured again, I immediately said ‘now it’s over’. It was like a redemption”.

The only aspect he does miss is the feeling of competition, but he admits football was ‘just a small part’ of his life, with a new one starting now.

When he does look back on his career, however, the best memory remains lifting that Premier League trophy with Leicester in 2016.

 

He said: “That was unique. From last to first in less than two years. Not bad, right? An explanation for it? I gave up. Whenever I try, something else comes out of it. The simplest one is: we were the best team at the time”.