MADRID, 6 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Saudi Al-Hilal goalkeeper Yassine Bono stated this morning that he understood that he was “the first option” for Real Madrid’s goal, after the serious injury to Belgian Thibaut Courtois, but with a high probability of being called up with Morocco for the Cup Africa, which will be played in January 2024, ended up truncating his transfer to the whites.
“I understand that I was the first option (for Real Madrid), but then the board of directors analyzed the whole situation with the Africa Cup and missing a lot of games in an important month for Madrid,” the Moroccan goalkeeper confessed in an interview with Canal Sur Radio collected by Europa Press.
Bono explained that the merengue club, which ruled out its possible signing for the tournament of African teams, which will be held in January 2024 -coinciding with a high load of League and Cup matches, with the continental qualifiers very era-, focused in “other options that suited them better”, as was the Basque Kepa Arrizabalaga. “The Africa Cup has greatly influenced this market,” insisted the goalkeeper.
In addition, the 32-year-old goalkeeper, who opted for the Saudi adventure that has successfully tempted so many players this summer, recounted how his departure from Sevilla FC came about, admitting that it was a “difficult” process. “When you leave a club where you spent your best years since you were in Europe, it’s not easy to change. But it’s part of the job, it’s part of the footballers’ career, and I’m assimilating it,” he said.
“I did a lot of things at the club and it was time to leave, I felt that I had given everything I had within me for Sevilla and that being there would stain everything that was done a bit,” he argued as a reason for leave the Seville club towards Al-Hilal.
In addition, the goalkeeper went through a last season with “a lot of wear and tear” from the World Cup and “a season that was not easy” with Sevilla, in the fight to avoid relegation until the final stretch. “Although we ended up saving it with a title -the Europa League-, it was a lot of emotional exhaustion and at a family level it was not easy. I needed something new and the club knew it. It’s like when you complete a cycle,” he concluded.