This summer, Kevin Mirallas was forced to make an unpleasant decision that most football players fear.
After 18 years of professional football, a total of 553 appearances for senior clubs in 7 different countries while earning 60 caps for Belgium, the 35-year-old has officially ended his career.
his fame by announcing his retirement.
A significant number of these appearances – 186 to be exact – were for Everton.
So it is quite fitting that Mirallas, in an interview with evertonfc.com looking back on his seven years with the Blues, revealed for the first time his intention to hang up his boots.
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“I want to continue,” he quickly insisted.
“My head wanted to but my body told me to stop.
Besides, if I can’t play 100%, there’s no point in continuing.
I think I’ll have to retire.
“
It’s a familiar dilemma for seasoned professionals, when the real physical costs of making a living playing football begin to manifest themselves in daily discomfort.
A recent survey by The Athletic, which surveyed 100 former professional soccer players to ask whether they had suffered from osteoarthritis since ending their playing career, answered “yes” with 36 percent.
– nearly half of this group is under 44 years old.
Mirallas admitted that minimizing these impacts was an important part of his decision:
“At the moment I have a knee injury and if I continue playing for another year or two I will likely have difficulty walking.
I don’t want this problem to happen after my career ends.
“Also, it’s hard for me to really reach the form I used to have.
You get older and it gets harder.
I’ve had to adjust my game to prolong my career.
Evertonians will remember Mirallas as a talented striker who was at his best on the pitch, using his quick feet to drive and break through opposition defences.
However, as his pace began to decline, he had to adjust his role, especially in recent seasons playing for the likes of Portuguese side Moreirense and Cypriot side AEL Limassol – which Everton faced in the Europa League in 2017.
“I started playing more as a central midfielder,” he said.
“I enjoyed it because I got to see a lot of football, but it was very different from what I played in previous years.
“There is more responsibility with and without the ball.
But I enjoy learning a new role and seeing the game from a different perspective.
“Mirallas had to make a similar playing adaptation when he arrived at Everton in August 2012.
Coming through the youth system at local club Standard Liège, then French side Lille, where he played Early in his professional career in 2004, Mirallas developed his playing ability.
Multiple attack roles.
The move to Saint-Etienne was a reward for his form in northern France, where he spent two seasons before joining Olympiacos, and it was in Greece that Mirallas really came under the radar.
of many big teams in Europe.
During his first season in Greece and playing mainly as a striker, he became Olympiacos’ top scorer.
The Belgian improved on that record the following campaign by finishing as the competition’s top scorer, scoring 20 goals in 25 appearances en route to helping Olympiacos win the title.
“When I was at Olympiacos, it was a great time,” Mirallas said of that period.
“I played well and we were in the Champions League.
“During my career, I had the opportunity to play many positions.
I started as a striker, then on the wing, then as a striker again.
To be honest, for many years I wanted to play as a striker.
I love it.
position.
“It allowed me to move to Everton.
I got a call from my agent asking me to come to England and it was very exciting.
Every player wants to go to the Premier League and I got to know the club and the supporters.
Everton was and still is a great club.
“David Moyes said to me when I arrived: ‘I know you’re Everton’s best striker.
’ That’s a big compliment.
However, the Everton coach at that time had other plans for the Belgian international.
“He told me that, but then he said that in England he thought I would play better as a winger,” he revealed.
“To be fair to him, it was the right decision.
”
Mirallas joined Everton for £6 million and made his debut as a second-half substitute in a 3–1 win over Aston Villa in August 2012.
In his first start four days later at Goodison Park, he scored two goals and provided two assists.
Everton.
won 5–0 against Leyton Orient in the second round of the League Cup.
“I felt fine after the move,” Mirallas said.
“I adapted quickly.
But after two or three months, I had my first injury.
That’s a sign.
“I remember telling my family very early on, ‘Hey, this Premier League isn’t too difficult.
‘ But after a few months, I thought, ‘Oh my God, every game is difficult, every game is the same as the final.
conclude!
‘ ‘
“The tournament is tough and it starts to take a toll on your body.
You have to be 100%, but I can say my body is definitely feeling more tired.
“I knew I needed to prepare better than ever.
I changed a few things in my routine, like hitting the gym more, eating better, and then I felt better.
Mirallas’s quick adaptation to life with the Blues, combined with his thrilling style of play, made him an instant hit with supporters.
Although he admits he was initially surprised by the unique nature of Evertonians’ passion.
“At that time, I thought I was a bit different from what Everton had,” he said.
“I’m very fast and dribble the ball.
There aren’t many players like that at the Club and I think the fans appreciate that.
I felt like when I arrived, there was noise from the fans around me.
It’s very special.
“But my first game at Goodison was in the League Cup, I remember scoring two goals and doing some really good dribbling.
I felt the reaction from the stadium was so warm, like, ‘ Oh, that’s ‘cool’.
But then, I did a long sprint to get back and help in defense, then a big tackle and to be honest, the whole stadium It was like I was exploding as if I had just scored a goal.
He is smiling:
“I thought, ‘Okay, so they like a tackle more than a dribble.
‘ At first it was very strange to me.
But over time, I realized that Everton fans love the passion they give on the field.
They want you to give your all in every match.
Then I understood.
“Everton is a great environment and very stable.
You could sense that the manager and players spent a lot of time together, especially Sylvain Distin, Leighton Baines, Phil Neville, Seamus Coleman, Phil Jagielka and Leon Osman.
You know, the players have been there a long time.
“I have to prove myself and I know the team and manager expect a lot from me.
But I quickly built good relationships.
Once I started working hard, I quickly felt accepted.
Sylvain helped me a lot because when I arrived, I didn’t speak English.
It wasn’t easy but he helped me a lot.
Mirallas became a key attacking link in Moyes’s Everton side, which finished sixth in that 2012/13 season.
The striker has appeared 33 times in all competitions, scoring 9 goals and 9 assists.
However, that summer, the Scottish coach left the Blues to replace Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.
Former Wigan coach Roberto Martinez is Moyes’ successor.
“At first I was sad to see Moyes leave,” Mirallas admitted.
“He was there for 13 years and is a legend at the Club.
He was often strict with me, always pushing me.
But he was also very fair.
He gave me a lot of freedom on the field.
I feel very good under his guidance.
“When he left, I was very worried.
Because I was happy with the system and the football I was playing.
With a new coach, you never know what will happen.
Maybe I do not participate in his projects.
“ This can be a stressful process.
“But after the first conversation with Roberto, I felt very happy.
He clearly told me that he loved me and wanted me.
Although it took us a while to adapt, the season The first time under his management was fantastic.
Under the guidance of the Catalan coach, the Blues adopted the philosophy of controlling the ball more and developing strongly.
They then accumulated 72 points, Everton’s highest tally in the Premier League era, and narrowly missed out on a top-four finish.
Reflecting on this campaign, Mirallas said:
“This season has been one of the highlights of my career.
The team was very good and I had an impact in many games.
Not only with goals and assists, but also with the work mine outside the ball.
I feel good in Roberto’s system.
We had a lot of possession, which meant I touched the ball a lot in the final third.
This season was another where Mirallas had a notable individual campaign in terms of goal contributions, scoring a total of 19 goals (eight goals, 11 assists).
Two of those came in the blockbuster Merseyside derby at Goodison Park which ended 3-3, however his impact in front of goal was overshadowed by a memorable foul on Liverpool’s Luis Suarez, who caused a stir after the match.
The former Everton striker said that although he never intended to seriously injure the Liverpool striker, he intended to take revenge after a meeting between the pair 12 months earlier.
“My first season, when we played the derby against Liverpool, Luis Suarez fouled me badly and I had to leave the field at half-time due to injury,” he explained.
“I promised myself that next year, if I played against him, I would attack any 50/50 tackles we had.
I remember that moment, I saw the ball and I rushed in strongly.
“However, I must admit that I never intended to harm or injure the player.
That is not my aim.
After a few seconds, I realized I was touching his knee and I wasn’t comfortable with it.
I’m afraid I’ve caused serious injury – that wasn’t the goal.
“At the end of the day, the derby is all about moments like that, especially on Merseyside.
That’s what people want to see.
With all he brings to the team offensively, it is no wonder to see Mirallas caught up in discussions at Everton.
It’s a reputation he’s known for and one he wants to address by providing, in his own words, greater clarity about his version of events.
One of these moments appears almost immediately at the beginning of the conversation.
“You know, I remember being in a lot of pain after missing the penalty against West Brom,” he recalls.
In a home match in January 2015, Everton won a penalty minutes before halftime with the score 0–0.
Mirallas converted Leighton Baines’ penalty, despite protests from him and his team-mates – the left-back had only missed one of 16 penalties at that point.
“I felt really confident because a few days ago I took a shot and scored a penalty,” he explained.
“Leighton Baines gave me a penalty because he knew I was confident.
But I missed it, and that really added fuel to the fire because it was around the time I had an interview with the Liverpool ECHO and the interview was taken out of context.
“I was asked and admitted that I have the ambition to play in the Champions League again.
My comments were taken out of context.
So people think, “Oh, he just wants to leave.
” But that’s not true.
Yes, I want the Champions League, but I especially want it with Everton.
“I know my personality is sometimes a bit selfish, but that’s my mentality.
I’m motivated and sometimes I get frustrated if I don’t think things are going well.
But if you ask anyone around me, they will tell you that I loved Everton and I still do.
”
Although Mirallas admits that he and Martinez did not always see eye to eye during their time as managers on Merseyside, there is a mutual respect and understanding between the two that has created a healthy environment in which the striker can develop.
Martinez was replaced by Ronald Koeman in 2016, and despite a good first year under the Dutchman that saw Mirallas make 37 appearances, their relationship quickly deteriorated and eventually left the striker went down, leading to him leaving Everton.
“It’s an example of why when there’s a new coach there’s some fear,” Mirallas said, reflecting on Koeman’s arrival.
“Because you never know what’s going to happen.
You can move from star status to marginal status if your manager doesn’t like you or wants to change the system.
“My first year with Koeman, we played in Europe and I was very happy.
I signed a new contract next summer, for 3 years.
I plan to buy a new house, everything is fine.
went well.
Then I remembered I started on a football team.
“ Europa League qualifying match but the next match I didn’t start.
I went to meet Koeman to discuss this decision.
But what he told me next, I couldn’t believe it.
He said: “If you are not happy with my decision, you can leave the Club.
“I was shocked because I was very happy and had just signed a new contract.
I was interested in Tottenham but was committed to Everton so I was quite surprised by his reaction.
“
“But I had the support of people at the Club who wanted me to stay.
I said to myself: ‘Okay, but we have to resolve the problem with Koeman’.
After the international break, I turned around and told him to speak up.
“ , I want to apologize and clear the air.
But then he was fired in October.
Then there were rumors that I and some other players did not want to practice or play for the team.
“That’s not right.
The new manager Sam Allardyce came in and told me straight up that I wouldn’t play under him.
It was the year of the World Cup so I wanted to make sure I could play.
“The best path for me was to return to Olympiacos, that’s why I left, not because I didn’t want to train or play for Everton.
I know everyone there and my family knows and loves this city.
I returned to Everton in Pre-season, when Marco Silva was in charge.
I’m in good form and think I’m in a good position to make an impact.
I feel fine and physically in good shape.
“But then Silva told me he didn’t want me and it was better for me to leave on loan.
I told him I wanted to stay and play for Everton, but he said I wouldn’t play .
So again I had to do it.
“ “I went to Italy and joined Fiorentina on a season-long loan.
I went back and was told again that I didn’t want it.
We agreed to terminate my contract and I returned to Belgium.
”
Having vented these frustrations, Mirallas’ voice became more serene as he continued:
“It’s not what I wanted, but I have accepted the Club’s decision.
I am now 35 years old and at this stage of my career and life, I can think more clearly.
“I can confidently say that I spent six or seven years at Everton and for me it was the best time of my career.
I hope this is not the end of my journey with the Club.
“Now that I have retired, I want to go back and watch more matches.
I know we won’t be at Goodison Park much longer.
I understand why they had to leave, for commercial reasons, it’s very important.
But Goodison Park is a special stadium.
“In the long term, I even want to work with the Club in the future.
I’m happy there, so is my family.
It was the best club of my career, I hope one day we can create more memories there.
”
”
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