Charly Musonda revealed the extent of his despair after calling time on his Chelsea career over the summer.
Speaking to The Beautiful Game Podcast, Musonda admitted he was broken following the decision to cut ties with the Champions League holders.
In November, the 25-year-old told supporters on his Instagram he will become a free agent at the end of the season.
This is set to put an end to nearly a decade of fragmented service to the Blues.
He arrived at Cobham in 2012 and quickly rose through the youth ranks, as his destiny as a first-team footballer seemed certain.
However, his once-promising future came crashing to the ground all too suddenly.
A string of loans sandwiched Musonda’s seven senior appearances for Chelsea, a figure that was minimised by a terrible run of luck avoiding injuries.
The most damaging of the lot was the posterior cruciate ligament damage he suffered whilst away with Vitesse Arnhem.
Doctors gave the Belgian a 20% chance of ever playing the profession again.
Musonda makes up his mind
Yet, after nearly two years out of the game, Musonda made the miraculous recovery and returned to Chelsea’s Under-23s earlier this season.
Although, despite his long-awaited second-coming, the attacker decided that life in South West London was no longer the right option.
“It’s been a difficult one,” said Musonda about his decision.
“Even the post on Instagram, I wasn’t going to be too emotional with it because I didn’t want to go long into the details and go long into the memories of everything.
“I spoke with Petr Cech in August on the phone and after those talks, I knew straight away, okay, I’m going to leave in August here, there is nothing else I can do.
“After the phone call, I was literally crying because I’d been there for a while. Even now, it’s going to take some time to get around it.”
Next steps for Charly
What lies ahead for Musonda is anyone’s guess.
Some suitors might be hesitant about taking on a player who hasn’t played 90 minutes of men’s football since 2018.
But, beneath the bandages and bruises, lies an individual who was once the brightest spark of the Blues academy.
If anyone deserves a second chance in football, it is Musonda.
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