https://www.instagram.com/p/Cd83ADfMePK/
25 May 2022
musonda: Goodbye @ChelseaFc thank you for everything.
https://i.imgur.com/SvjZNIe.jpg
PUBLIC STATEMENT, ANNOUNCING, LEAVING CHELSEA AFTER 10 YEARS.
This is my farewell letter on what has been an incredible 10 years dating
back to 2012.
A decade gone, a rollercoaster of emotions. Four years without football,
free agent. What next? Football always & creating an inspirational world.
https://i.imgur.com/DGHPAWr.jpg
Seems like yesterday I was arriving at Cobham, and that Chelsea Football
Club welcomed me and my family to my new home, it has now been 10 years
since that day, and today as the season ends, that journey has come to an
end.
I had the privilege of being part of, and being able to learn in such an
incredible organisation in world football, and in the process had the
opportunity of winning all that was possible at youth level within the
club and country playing a part of an important chapter at Cobham, and
more importantly doing so while growing as a person.
From the ages of fifteen until twenty-one, I worked extremely hard to make
my professional debut at Chelsea, at a time in which it was extremely
difficult to do so, and so I will always be thankful for the opportunity
to have been able to play at the Bridge wearing the blue shirt, which is
never a given or should never be taken for granted, particularly from
where I come from.
https://i.imgur.com/WlYbHxy.jpg
Looking back on it, I took the decision to leave Belgium for my personal
development as it was the right time to do so to keep progressing. Leaving
for a new country so young is always a challenge, leaving in the hopes of
making it and breaking through in a world class club is equally always a
challenge, and such a feat only multiplies for youngsters when that club
is Chelsea Football Club, the well oiled machine that is built on winning,
and only winning.
But such as any passionate and dedicated athlete should, I live for
challenges, and never shy away from them because life is too short not to
follow our dreams through fear of failure or in the hopes of finding an
easier path, and so I would do it all over again without hesitation.
In all honesty, I would be lying if I said that I thought I would be
leaving this way, and even more so if I thought that I would go four years
without playing football after my knee injury.
The people who know me, know how much football has meant to me since I
started playing from the ages of five, and for me not to be able to play
for four years, has been heartbreaking.
There is no other way to put it, it's been soul wrenching.
Particularly because football is the only thing that I perhaps love more
or as much as my family, or because I worked so hard the first six years
at the club for one goal which was always to play for Chelsea, never
wanting, demanding to leave partly because I really believed I could and
would until the last day, the moment that sums up the best what Chelsea
meant to me and the work I had to do to get there is how emotional I was
to score on my debut.
https://i.imgur.com/4D1xPbD.jpg
During those years of hard work, sacrifice and dedication, I fell in love
with the club, and the fans, people always say Chelsea fans don't make
noise in the stadium, but I can assure you, the fans are amongst the best
in the world, and they have been unbelievable with me always, which is
rare for a player who hasn't even started more than once, honestly.
You've always loved me, up until this day, and that helped me through my
injury to keep on keeping on and training. I will never forget you Chelsea
Fans, and will always love you from the bottom of my heart, I wish I could
have done more for you but that is the nature of life.
I want to thank Adi Vivaesh, the late Dermot Drummy, and Joe Edwards, for
developing me.
I want to thank Antonio Conte, for giving me an opportunity to fulfil a
dream.
I want to thank all the teammates I had along the way, at youth level and
in the first team, all of those who reached out when I was injured too.
Sport is all about camaraderie, and pushing ourselves to better one
another, we can't achieve anything without our teammates and opponents.
I'm extremely proud of all the boys I grew up with that are playing and
representing the academy for Chelsea, Andreas, Rueb, Reece, Mase, Trevor
and across England and Europe at several levels, Tammy, Jeremie, Ake,
Ola, Fikayo, Dion Conroy, Houghton, Swifty, Baker, Marc Guehi, T Lamptey,
Billy, Jay Da Silva, Mukhtar, Wright... and many more.
https://i.imgur.com/7st6owP.jpg
I want to thank my mum and dad; my dad for driving me and brothers every
morning to practice and picking us up, my mum for travelling to all my
games, even when we played in Thailand or Australia for a friendly you
would be there, if we won you would be there, if we lost, If it was
raining or sunny, you would be there.
Thanks to my brothers for being there for me. I definitely wouldn't be
here without you guys. We win and lose together.
You can hold your heads up mum and dad for the incredible job you guys
have done.
I'm sorry I couldn't get this one over the line, I love you more than
anything and I know you do too.
I want to thank physios Stu Vaughn and Stu Sullivan, for the hours spent
rehabbing me and taking care of me in the difficult moments.
https://i.imgur.com/MTejhQ5.jpg
I will always carry the incredible memories with me, especially because I
lived them as a young boy, they will always be a part of my teenage life,
most kids spend that time in school, I was lucky enough to be morning,
day and and night at Cobham playing football.
What the future in football holds or where, still is unknown but what I do
know is that while being injured I discovered that my mental strength is
my fortitude, not talent. Another thing that's for certain, is I will
be back playing this season.
I never stopped rehabbing, believing, even if that meant training alone
for three out of these last four years, I'm extremely proud of that, and
not giving up in life in general having gone through extreme testing
moments of resilience and mental health.
It would be an incredible achievement in itself to return to the field
after four years without playing football having been given less than
twenty percent odds of ever playing again at the top flight.
https://i.imgur.com/s512bOm.jpg
Aside from football having been through what I've been through, I would
like to create a world that can inspire, educate and bring happiness to
the next generation, as well as people all around the world of all ages to
never give up, believe, because that's what life is about. Life is
beautiful, sport is beautiful, it brings many of us our worst days and
best days, playing as an athlete, supporting as a fan... Often people
forget how beautiful sport really is, and I'm thankful and appreciative of
all the moments, in fact the reason you may be reading this and the only
reason we may be connected or you may know of me is through sport, and
that's incredible, that so many people are connected through the power of
sports and it's stories, it's highs and it's lows.
I have learned so much from my idols along the way in different sports, on
how to keep on going always and have a bigger perspective on life. Not to
be sad because it's the end but appreciate that it happened. I had a
chance to be here, whether small or big doesn't really matter, whether I
got injured or not, does not really matter, what matters is that I had the
opportunity to be here and that I tried as best as I could. I'm thankful
for the journey and would like to thank everyone from the bottom of my
heart at Chelsea Football Club, and wish all best to the players and it's
fans.
- Charly
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cd89cGyAznK/ (影片)
musonda: Thank You Chelsea for ten incredible years.