Former Football Prodigy Hachim Mastour Struggles to Revive Career at 23

Hachim Mastour or the other name for failure? The one who was destined for a great football career has had an enviable career before falling into anonymity. Today, he is without a club. "I assure you that being Hachim Mastour has not been and is not easy. I have always lived in the spotlight. On the one hand, it’s something I obviously enjoy, because it stimulates me to give the best of myself, on the other hand it always generates considerable pressure on me. As I constantly say, I would just like to play football and be treated like a simple 23-year-old boy, who makes mistakes and is determined to improve every day in order to carve out a career at levels of sacrifice, humility and hard work," said the former AC Milan prodigy in an interview with the Italian media PSB.

The Atlas Lion admits to having had trouble handling the pressures, especially that of the public. "Every time I step onto the pitch, most people expect me to take the ball, dribble past everyone and go into the goal with the ball," he laments. Another attitude he complains about: the "gratuitous offenses suffered on social networks." The native of Reggio Emilia does not keep only good memories of his time at Reggina. "I was honored to be able to play in an important square like Reggio. To be able to dialogue on the pitch with players of the caliber of Crisetig, Menez, Denis was something fabulous that could allow me to showcase my technical qualities. Unfortunately, however, the results were slow in coming and the technical choice fell on players with other characteristics," he confided.

"I realized that this was not the right path for me after being the victim of very unpleasant incidents from certain teammates," added the Moroccan international. He also regretted having trusted certain people in his entourage. "I deeply regret having trusted the wrong people, people who told me they were going to ruin me, that they would tarnish my name to the point that I would never play football again [...] They saw me as a cash machine," he admitted. His wish is to be recruited by a club and to continue his football career.