Announcing his retirement from football at the age of 33 after spending over a year without a club, Yannis Salibur did so without ever experiencing the game in England, despite having come close with a failed transfer to Hull City.
The move came about when he was still at Guingamp in France, back in 2017, and the former France U19 international saw it as the ideal chance to discover one of the best leagues in the world.
However, it all collapsed, and the chance of going to Hull City disappeared, which he discussed in an interview with Ouest-France on Tuesday.
Asked about his ‘aborted move’ to the Tigers, he said: “It was a very complicated period. I had a dream, and that was to play in Spain or England. I had this opportunity and I had already made plans. As I was at the peak of my career, I was waiting for this moment to move on and aim higher.
Salibur was then asked if he felt someone intentionally pulled the plug on his transfer to Hull, or at least did something on purpose to ensure it didn’t happen.
He said: “I think it was deliberate. The paperwork wasn’t sent in on time, and that’s why I say you have to take a step back to judge a footballers’ career. There are a lot of non-sporting factors that come into play. Agents, presidents, intermediaries. The player is certain the main man, but there are so many people and so much at stake financially that they are not necessarily the only masters of their destiny.”
Despite never being able to play for Hull City, Salibur eventually did manage to play in Spain, as he played one year with RCD Mallorca between 2019 and 2020.
He then went to Fatih Karagümrük in Turkey, where he played for two seasons prior to him walking away and never finding a club again.
