After 12 years in England, three seasons at Aston Villa, during which he went out on loan twice (to Antwerp and to Melbourne), Ritchie de Laet decided it was finally time to pull the plug on his career in England and return home.
Returning to the very Belgian side he had a temporary spell with, the defender is more than pleased with his choice, and explained why he decided to call it quits on his time on this side of the Channel.
Speaking to Sport/Foot, the 30-year-old said: “I ended up not having [fun] anymore. The last two seasons have been complicated. I signed for Aston Villa and I blow my knee in the third game. I’m out for nine months, and when I come back, Steve Bruce is gone, replaced by Roberto Di Matteo, who doesn’t count on me.
“I often went to see him and he told me I was close to his team. Months passed, and it was the same. I started losing faith, even training was getting too much. I wasn’t able to be happy. That’s why I agreed to the loan to Australia. I needed oxygen, and I didn’t regret it.”
Thoroughly enjoying his time down under, De Laet was once again reunited with Warren Joyce, whom he knew from previous spells at Antwerp and Manchester United’s U23s, and even if he could have stayed, he decided a return to Belgium was for the best when the opportunity presented itself.
Now 30, the player reveals ‘everything has been perfect’ in his rather long career, ‘except for that spell at Villa and my long time out’.
Back at Antwerp, the player is preparing for what will be his first ever full season in the Jupiler Pro League, his home country’s first-tier.
During his time in England, the player managed 199 professional appearances, scoring six goals and assisting teammates 12 times.
