In a conversation with MIDMID, Mbark Boussoufa looks back on his second period at KAA Gent. His return was not without difficulties, especially due to the relationship with trainer Hein Vanhaezebrouck.
Boussoufa started his story by emphasizing how important KAA Gent is to him. He asked the club to give him the opportunity to prove his worth, with the hope that his past and experience could earn him a place in the squad. Yet Vanhaezebrouck saw Boussoufa’s arrival as a personal threat.
The tension between Boussoufa and Vanhaezebrouck soon became clear. The trainer did not seem to be genuinely happy with the acquisition, which did not improve the atmosphere within the team.
“Yes, of course there was Hein Vanhaezebrouck who didn’t want me. And I already knew that in advance. I think the way it went, Hein Vanhaezebrouck didn’t like it,” the Moroccan says in the podcast.
Boussoufa notices a pattern in the way Vanhaezebrouck opens up. “I always thought he was someone who had a big mouth in the press. But when he sits across from you, man to man, he is not the same person.”
This lack of sincerity added to the awkward atmosphere, with Boussoufa feeling there was a gap between what the coach said and what he actually thought. “I haven’t spoken to him in the last two months.”
