Morocco’s football player Adel Taarabt reportedly said no to several offers from heavy-hitting football clubs, including Liverpool.
Former English football player Darren Bent said Taarabat refused to leave London for shisha, also known in English as hookah.
The offers date back to when Taarabat was playing in the Premier League, with clubs like Queens Park Rangers and Tottenham Hotspur.
Bent made the remarks during TalkSport’s “Drive” program, stressing football preferences in terms of transfers and lifestyle.
“I always said that I wanted to get as far away from London as possible,” Bent said, noting that this helped him focus on football.
“I wanted to go somewhere where I was full focus on football and if you go to the north-east, that is all they care about, football, football, football,” Bent said.
Taarabt, however, wanted to stay as long as he could in London, according to the ex-footballer.
Bent said that Taarabat is among the football players who never wanted to leave London for different reasons despite offers from several clubs, including Liverpool.
“I think Liverpool were linked with him for a little bit… clubs like that, and I said to him, ‘What are you thinking?’ He went, ‘I’m not leaving London, I don’t care how much,’” the former English footballer said.
Taarabat went on to add that he did not care about the size of the club and offers.
“This is what he said to me, he went, ‘Benty, everyday I train, I finish, King’s Road, shisha.’ That’s what he said to me, everyday,” Bent explained.
Taarabt, 34, now plays for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia. He is also part of Morocco’s national football team.
In a few previous interviews, Taarabat acknowledged that he developed a bad reputation during his career.
In 2018, Taarabat spoke to L’Equipe about the situation stressing that he is no longer 22 or 23.
“I have matured, I have no more problems. This reputation is over! “ he said.
During the interview, he also expressed love for football, stressing that he is “passionate” about the sport.
