Thursday, June 24, 2021 at 13:17• Dominic Mostert

Thomas Meunier says he has had enough of the ‘mediatization’ of football. Existence as a professional football player is different from what he imagined as a child, the Belgian international says in the documentary Thomas Meunier, see you soon. “Football is no longer football,” says Meunier, who indicates that he knows several footballers who no longer enjoy their work.

“You will call me a complainer, but I had a different picture. The picture I have is the picture from when I was little. In reality it has become more of a job than a passion and that’s the problem,” he said. the 29-year-old right-back. “For example, you have contractual obligations. It’s like going to work in the factory and having to set your hours. It’s exactly the same. Except for the salary, of course.”

In 2018, Meunier received the necessary criticism from supporters of Paris Saint-Germain, when he liked a photo of an atmospheric action by Olympique Marseille. The incident was covered in the press and he didn’t like it. A more anonymous existence as a footballer appeals to him more. “I can name ten players who only play football for the money and not because they still feel like it. The only thing they dream of is to be able to play in third division with their friends.”

The documentary also talks about the ankle injury Eden Hazard suffered in November 2019 after a serious charge by Meunier in a Champions League match between Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain. The attacker left the stadium on crutches and was sidelined for more than two months. “It was an innocent duel between a defender and an attacker”, Meunier looks back on the incident. However, he knows that Florentino Pérez thought otherwise.

After the game, Meunier was approached by the president of Real Madrid. “In the hallway I shook his hand and said ‘pleasant’. Perez asked me why I said that and whether I was aware that I had injured Eden Hazard,” said Meunier. “At that moment I couldn’t take it anymore and I exploded. I asked him if he was serious. He said ‘yes’, so I said it was just a duel. That’s football.”