Former Sevilla star Yassine Bounou has today provided an insight into the previously unknown reasoning behind his decision to bring an end to his stint in Andalusia.
Goalkeeper Bono, for his part, of course departed Sevilla in the summer of 2023.
As part of the outflux of talent for the Saudi Pro League, the Moroccan international linked up with the likes of Kalidou Koulibaly, Rúben Neves and Neymar at star-studded Al-Hilal.
The transfer, as proved the case with almost all of last summer’s most high-profile to the Middle East, was widely labelled as having come for monetary reasons on Bono’s part.
Speaking to the media on Friday, though, the 33-year-old revealed that, in fact, his mental wellbeing played a central role in the move.
In quotes gathered by Spanish outlet Marca, Bono explained that his final season on Sevilla’s books was plagued with personal issues, with as much having in the end left him with no choice but to seek out a new challenge:
“I came to the last year with family problems. I had to draw strength from all my experience, but I couldn’t because emotionally I couldn’t continue here. I needed a change for my mental health.”
Conor Laird | GSFN