William Saliba opens up on struggles at Saint-Étienne academy
Arsenal defender William Saliba reflects on the emotional challenges he faced as a 15-year-old moving to the Saint-Étienne youth academy.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons / CC0 / Author: Supporterhéninois
Arsenal and France defender William Saliba has opened up about the emotional toll of his early football career. In 2016, at just 15 years old, he left his home in the Paris region to join the youth academy of Saint-Étienne.
Speaking in an interview with France Football, the defender admitted that the distance from his family and friends proved to be an immense challenge during his teenage years.
For the first five months, I was crying all the time in my room. I was six hours away from home. You go back to Paris for five or six days, and then you have to go back to Saint-Étienne. You get to your room and you cry. You even wonder if you have the strength to do this. William Saliba
These early hardships were a formative part of Saliba's journey toward becoming one of the most prominent defenders in the game. Despite the initial struggle, he persisted to establish his professional career and eventually signed with Arsenal.