Joao Mario admits West Ham United exit was biggest mistake of career
Former West Ham loanee Joao Mario has revealed that not staying at the club was the biggest mistake of his career after the club wanted to buy him following his loan spell, in an interview with Record.
Mario spent six months on loan at the East London club before heading back to Inter Milan, despite West Ham wanting him to stay with them. He states his decision was because he felt he had to stay with Inter as he was under contract there.
He called his West Ham exit the biggest mistake of his career and one he regrets hugely, describing the club and the Premier League as spectacular.
Speaking in an interview with Portuguese outlet Record, the current Benfica man admitted: “Looking back on my career, the big mistake I made was not staying at West Ham at that time. West Ham wanted to buy me, but I thought I needed to go back to Inter. Not that I wanted to stay at Inter, but I had a contract.
“I thought it made sense to go there [West Ham]. I found a spectacular club, spectacular league. I regret, for one reason or another, that I didn’t stay in England. Looking at my career, it was my biggest mistake.”
Mario also stated his decision to join the Hammers in the first place was due to a conversation with Portugal boss Fernando Santos, confessing: “I had a conversation with mister Fernando Santos, and he said to me ‘you have to play to go to the World Cup’.”
Both the club and the player would have benefited from his staying
The Hammers finished 13th in the 2017/18 season with Mario joining on loan from Inter Milan that January, scoring two goals and getting an assist in 13 league appearances in East London.
He made 7 more appearances during the entire next season in Milan than he did in six months at West Ham, playing 1080 minutes at an average rate of just 54 minutes per game, compared to the 78.9 he averaged with the East London club.
West Ham signed Carlos Sanchez and Jack Wilshere as midfield replacements for a risk-free combined price of just £1million the summer Mario left, with the latter making just 19 appearances across an injury-plagued three years, while the former making 18 appearances in two years before being released.
It is clear from their business that summer that Mario’s arrival would’ve been incredibly helpful in West Ham’s midfield, while the club would also have helped him with playing time and support he lacked at Inter.
In other West Ham news, the club have made contact over a deal for the top target this summer.