In an interview with France Football, Vahid Halilhodzic made surprising revelations on his career after the 2014 World Cup. The former coach of Algeria, who had led the Fennecs to a historic final against Germany, Affirms that several major European clubs, including Manchester City, wanted to recruit him.
Halilhodzic, the coach that Manchester City coveted in 2014
“I am told that City Sheikh is waiting for me at Roissy airport to chat,” he says. AC Milan, through Adriano Galliani, was also in the ranks to attract it. But despite these prestigious proposals, Halilhodzic chose to remain faithful to his commitments. “No thank you, I gave my word to a friend who became president of Trabzonspor,” he explains, emphasizing his loyalty, even in the face of attractive offers.
After the elimination of Algeria against Germany (2-1 after extra time), Halilhodžić returned to the country where he was welcomed as a hero. “The next day, in a shopping center, a thousand people brought me. The return to the country was crazy,“He recalls. President Bouteflika even asked him several times to stay at the head of the Fennecs: “Five times, he repeated: 'The Algerian people want you to stay.' I was not saying anything. But in my head, I was already gone. ”
Guardiola could never have landed at Man City.
“Against France in quarters, we would have won”
Halilhodžić also returned to this Algerian epic, convinced that his team could have gone further: “Against France in quarters, we would have won,”He says. He attributes the tiredness elimination of his players, some having started Ramadan the day before the match against Germany. “A hundred and twenty minutes against Germany, at the end of June, in Brazil, you are not drinking day…”
Free since 2022
Since his eviction of the Moroccan selection in 2022, Halilhodžić has been free from any contract. Although he was asked by large clubs like Manchester City or AC Milan, he has not yet returned to a bench. In any case, the story could have been very different for Manchester City if Halilhodžić had accepted their offer before the arrival of Pep Guardiola in 2016, who has since become the emblematic coach of the club.
