Longing for a future that did not exist: Jack Wilshere retired at the age of 30

He was defined as the most Spanish English player, ignited the imagination of Paul Gascoigne, and his coaches expected him to become captain of the team for many years.

In fact, Jack Wilshere's brilliant breakout season in Arsenal's uniform in 2010/11 was also his only full season.

Michael Yochin

09/07/2022

Saturday, 09 July 2022, 10:25

• Share on Facebook

• Share on WhatsApp

• Share on Twitter

• Share on Email

• Share on general

• Comments

  Comments

Jack Wilshere talks about Yossi Benyon in an interview for Sports1 (Sports1)

Half a year before the 2010 World Cup, Jack Wilshere was asked about his chances of going to the tournament.

He was a 17-year-old boy with only a few appearances in Arsenal uniform, but the media bustle around him was great.

The idea of ​​taking him to the World Cup sounds a little less absurd given the fact that Sven-Goran Erickson summoned Theo Walcott in 2006.

"I would have preferred them to talk about it less. Maybe it's nice to hear about it, and I can expect to play for the team, but I'm not an idiot. You have to play for the team regularly first, and only then think about the team. Did not stop - especially in light of the successful loan at Bolton in early 2010. People saw in him the great hope of English football.

And he made his national team debut in September of that year.

For Euro 2016 Roy Hodgson took over Wilshere even though he was hardly a partner in the Gunners uniform during the pre-tournament season with only one game in the squad.

His fitness was unclear, his fitness did not match, but the veteran national coach was determined.

"Jack is a special player. There are other roles where I have a rich selection of players, but with him the situation is different. The truth is that we do not have any more players like him," he stated.

When England were trailing against Iceland in the semi-finals, he sent Wilshere into the fray, hoping he would change everything.

It did not happen, the team was eliminated - and it was the media's last game.

He finished the term with 34 appearances and two goals, both in a 2-3 draw over Slovenia in 2015, one of which is particularly spectacular.

Good to know (promoted)

The secret to improving your sex life - now on a special sale

Served on behalf of "Gabra"

Was determined to summon him to Euro 2016, even though his fitness did not match.

Hodgson with Wilshere (Photo: Reuters)

Both of these examples illustrate the intensity of England's expectations of Wilshere, as well as the intensity of the miss.

The star who announced his retirement from football at the age of 30 yesterday was completely different from anything the English knew.

He was not English in character, much like Paul Gascoigne was not a typical Englishman by any means.

Gennaro Gattuso described him as "an actor with an English mentality who plays like a Spanish midfielder", and many saw it that way.

In fact, the Spaniards saw it that way too, and Xavi greatly appreciated Wilshere's skills, since meeting him in the inaugural match of the Champions League quarter-finals in February 2011.

Wilshere, just 19, was cheeky and elegant at the same time.

He did not count the famous rivals, and remembers how his tackle on Andres Iniesta drove the entire London crowd insane.

The Blaugrana stars got used to letting them move the ball because they were just much better at it, but Wilshere had other plans.

He wanted to control, and that's what he did.

He fought for the ball, got it, and then knew what to do with it.

He was the outstanding player on the pitch, and Arsenal made a late turnaround to win 1-2.

Ahead of the rematch, Pep Guardiola then said: "Wilshere is a great player", but also added along the way: "We have a lot of players like him in the reserve team, but he is lucky because he plays in England, and there is no pressure on the team to win titles."

Gennaro Gattuso described him as "an actor with an English mentality who plays like a Spanish midfielder".

Wilshere (Photo: GettyImages)

He also shone at Camp Nou, so Robin van Persie received the famous red card for not hearing the whistle.

Overall, 2010/11 was a dizzying, sweeping breakout season, igniting the imagination.

In retrospect it feels like ancient history, and there is a natural willingness to doubt the enthusiasm that then gripped the fans, but anyone who has watched Wilshere's performance at the time knows it was justified.

Owen Coyle, who coached the boy at Bolton, claims: "Jack was supposed to become a world-class player. He was technically formidable, but also very mature. He had playing wisdom not seen in players at that age. He was extraordinarily creative. wall".

Neil Benfield, who coached him as an assistant coach at Arsenal, recites: "Jack was excellent at playing on small areas, saw the game best of all, recognized the movement of players and knew how to give them perfect dedication. He was at the level of Cesc Fabregas at his age. I was sure he He will be the team captain for many years. "

The comparison to it is not accidental.

Fabregas (Photo: Reuters)

The comparison to Fabregas was not accidental, and not just because he shone in Arsenal.

This was the era in which Spain and Barcelona took over world football thanks to its low-key ties, and even in England the obsession to emulate success was evident.

Wilshere burst in just in time to get the label "the most Spanish Englishman", and Pep's quotes about players like him in La Masia were also seen as a big compliment.

Who knew then that this would be the only full season of his career?

The scenario that was particularly optimistic at first soon became a sporting tragedy, and the first and most fatal injury in general was seen as a minor one.

There were even disagreements about the source of the problem.

After a partner in 49 games throughout 2010/11, Wilshere was granted an exemption from traveling to the European Under-21 Championship.

The club did not even receive a report of this, but the injury was exacerbated at a friendly match at a pre-season camp, and according to the original reports it took two weeks to recover.

The absence was then extended to one month, then to two months.

It was finally decided on surgery.

The estimated return was postponed to spring, and in the end Wilshere did not play even a second in 2011/12.

In retrospect, he even said that he did not know how to deal with the medical distress properly, did not receive sufficient guidance, and also psychologically the burden was too great.

Psychologically the burden was too great.

Wilshere in 2011 (Photo: GettyImages, Mike Hewitt)

The long-awaited comeback took place only in October 2012, but the supreme promise was never fulfilled.

Wilshere had quite a few magical moments.

The marvelous team goal against Norwich in 2013 still excites everyone who sees it but the expectation that he will become the "English Xavi" has evaporated.

Hodgson, who took over the team after Capello, actually saw him as a kind of "English Pirlo", but that was not true either.

A non-ideal lifestyle, with exposure to cigarette smoking and incidents in pubs, did not contribute to its image and rehabilitation, but the main problem was that it did not have a long enough sequence of fully qualified games.

The star himself believed he would overcome the obstacles.

In July 2015, for example, the Daily Telegraph published a comprehensive interview with Wilshere that missed most of the previous season and promised that this time everything would be different.

"He plans to stay healthy for the entire upcoming season," the headline announced, and the midfielder stated, "When I was younger, I had a hard time treating injuries psychologically. I did not know if I could return to the required level, and I did not cope well with frustrations. I made mistakes, but learned from them. "I'm a better and stronger person now. I know how to come back."

And the actual result?

He also missed most of the following season, and Arsenal no longer trusted him.

Arsene Wenger advised him to go on loan, and he went as far as 2016 to Bournemouth which was supposed to suit him very well in terms of style, but did not impress the media.

Wilshere was only 24 years old, but his short record was far behind him.

When Unai Emery made it clear to him that he replaced Wenger in the summer of 2018 that he would not be a car player but would be included in the rotation, Wilshere chose not to sign a new contract with the Gunners and left with a slam on the door in favor of West Ham - the same team as a child.

In retrospect, he was very sorry about that, because the term with the Hammers crashed due to poor fitness and injuries, and that was already the end.

After a failed stint at Bournemouth in the 2020/21 sub-league, no one wanted to sign him anymore in the kingdom.

After a failed period in Bournemouth, no one in the kingdom wanted to touch him.

Wilshere (Photo: GettyImages, James Williamson - AMA)

In an interview with Athletic a year ago, Wilshere talked about the difficulty of dealing with the situation, and that he could not answer his eldest son the direct question - why no one is interested in him anymore.

"Ironically I was never more fit," he claimed, revealing that he could no longer explain to himself why he insisted on going out to train every day.

"Maybe I should go out of England," he said - and did sign last February in Little Danish Aarhus.

When even this experience did not give him satisfaction, he realized that there was no point in waiting any longer.

Yesterday the final announcement came out - Wilshere is no longer a footballer.

For Arsenal fans and football fans in England and around the world in general this sad ending is jarring because the hope was completely different.

On the other hand, Wilshere will now have a permanent and guaranteed job - he will return to wearing the gunners uniform and coach the team until the age of 18. And who knows, maybe he will discover there the star who will truly become the English Xavi.

• sport

• World football

• English League

Tags

• Jack Wilshere