Steve Mounié could have continued his adventure with Brest, who qualified for the 2024-2025 Champions League, but the Beninese international has opted to join Augsburg in the Bundesliga for three seasons upon the expiration of his contract.
Scoring 6 goals in Ligue 1 last season, the 29-year-old striker defended himself against claims of making a purely financial choice in an interview aired on Thursday by Le Télégramme, justifying his decision to move to the German league after four seasons with Brest.
“The first question I had to answer was whether, at 30, I still had the strength to play in a top league and whether I wanted to make a sporting or financial choice, perhaps opting for semi-retirement in Gulf countries. I made that choice by turning down a very serious offer I had received from Qatar,” he clarified initially, before providing further details.
“I’ve read a lot of false things about me, claims of sums I allegedly demanded. It hurt because it made me look like a mercenary, whereas my decision isn’t solely financial. Firstly, it was about the sport, secondly about finances, and thirdly about the living environment,” he enumerated.
🚨🗣️𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗩𝗘 𝗠𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗘́ : « 𝗝𝗲 𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝘀 𝘂𝗻 𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲 » ❌
— Joueurs Béninois 🇧🇯 (@JoueursBJ) July 11, 2024
Dans une longue interview accordée à @TelegrammeSport, le capitaine des Guépards est revenu sur son choix de quitter Brest malgré la possibilité de jouer la Ligue des champions. pic.twitter.com/0JZeSx9ynA
“I’m very attached to Brest, but at some point, football isn’t just about emotions. I’m turning 30, and this might be my last contract. At some point, the calculations aren’t the same. For me, playing in the Champions League or discovering a third major league, they hold equal weight. It weighed even more because I would become the first Beninese in history to achieve this,” he explained.
By signing with a Bundesliga club, Mounié indeed becomes the first Beninese footballer to play in three of Europe’s top five leagues. Besides Ligue 1, the Parakou native had previously experienced the Premier League during his first two seasons at Huddersfield (2017-2020).
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