Leeds United’s Rasmus Kristensen was on loan at AS Roma last season, where he made 31 appearances in all competitions.
Last month, Corriere dello Sport suggested the Serie A side could take advantage of Leeds’ failure to return to the Premier League and sign the right-back on another loan deal.
The 26-year-old is part of Denmark’s squad at the Euros, and Friday’s edition of Ekstra Bladet insists he will have to sort out his future at Leeds after the Euros.
The newspaper talks about Kristensen’s future in a report that mainly focuses on the millions earned by the Danish players currently part of the national team.
They point out the Leeds man isn’t comfortable earning a lot of money as a footballer, and he talked about this during an interview with TV Midtvest, who went to Italy to chat with him.
Kristensen didn’t hold back when expressing his views on the money he earns as a footballer.
“I can be embarrassed that we as footballers earn so much. I actually feel ashamed sometimes,” he said.
Despite earning a lot, the Dane insists there’s a downside of being a professional player, which restricts him from having a normal life with his family.
“But I’m a footballer 24 hours a day. I have to think about what I eat, when I sleep and what I can do in general. When I go out to eat, I have to deal with the fact that people might know who I am. You’re always on all the time. Because there’s always a day after the next when you’re assessed again,” Kristensen explained.
“If it’s someone in my family’s birthday, I can’t just pop round. We might have a match the next day and then we’re in a hotel the day before. Don’t feel sorry for me, because right now I’m saving up for the rest of my life. I accept the circumstances, also because we make such good money. But that doesn’t make me miss family, friends and a normal life any less.”
TV Midtves journalist Dan Sørensen followed Kristensen in Italy during his loan spell at Roma. The journalist’s wife is a nursery teacher, and the Leeds player is of the belief she deserves to earn more than a professional footballer.
“We should not discuss that at all. She should definitely earn more than me. After all, she has an important job. I don’t really do anything important, and it’s hard to say what I actually contribute to society. The only argument I have for us making so much money is that football means a lot to a lot of people. And here in Italy, football is almost on a par with religion,” he added.
