EXCLUSIVE: Wilfried Bony on his time at Sparta, moving to Man City & struggles with injury
It's been almost 14 years since you left Sparta for Vitesse Arnhem. However, you have said in the past that you are still following it. Is that still the case?
"Of course! And now I'm happy with how it's going. We had to wait a long time for the Champions League, I'm glad it's finally happened. It must be a huge thing for the club, for all the players and for the whole of Prague that Sparta is back in this competition. I hope the boys will enjoy it and do their best at Manchester City. If they give their all, maybe they can even think about points."
Do you really believe that?
"Why wouldn't they? I've seen so many surprises in football, anything can happen. The change in the format of the Champions League can also contribute to different unexpected results, it's hard to predict, it makes everything more colourful. Sparta definitely have a chance to get at least a point. Overall, the players have to take it into account that they have six group games left and they need to make the most of them. You can't write off one game with no chance, there is always hope. I believe that the support of the Spartan fans will also play a role in Manchester."
You have worked at both clubs. Can you compare your relationship with them?
"Sparta is the beginning of everything, my first European club. If I hadn't played there, I wouldn't have achieved what came after. That's why it's always in my heart and I can't compare it to any other club."
You already mentioned Spartan fans. How do you remember them?
"I will never forget them. I still remember the chants 'Sparta go for it!' or 'Who doesn't jump is not a Spartan!' and I can even speak Czech. I know very well how great the fans at Letná are. And of course I still remember a lot of people who helped me in Sparta. Coach Lavicka, Tomáš Řepka..."
Why him?
"He came to Sparta from West Ham and everyone respected him. At the first training session I had in the Sparta team, he hit me. I think he was trying to see what I could stand, if I had respect for him. But I thought I had to prove myself and in the next fight I kicked him. From then on we had a bond, I liked him as a player and as a person.
That meeting at our first training session helped me a lot because I showed everyone that I was ready to fight the best. Maybe my teammates thought I was a bit crazy, but Řepka liked me and we are still friends to this day. I'm also in contact with Kucka, Kladrubsky, Podany, Vacko... I have a lot of friends left from Sparta."
You've played a lot of European games for Sparta yourself, did any of them stick with you?
"Of the cup games, probably the duels with Palermo. We won at home and I scored a goal, I missed a goal away, but we managed to draw 2-2, which meant we were through to the Europa League eight finals. Of course, the most memorable matches were always the ones against Slavia, I scored a goal in my last derby, that's an unforgettable moment. I also remember a lot the home game with Teplice, when Tomáš Řepka scored and we won the title. There are a lot of memories."
You left Sparta in 2011. Was it difficult for you to leave?
"It was difficult. Moreover, it was in January, the team needed me and I knew that adapting elsewhere in the middle of the season would not be easy. But I scored a lot of goals in the autumn, I was the second top scorer in the Europa League behind Adebayor. Sparta knew there was big money in me and they had to take advantage of it.
I didn't even put any pressure on myself to leave, I had been at the club for four years and I had so many ties that I didn't want to leave. But at the same time I felt that if I had the chance to move on, I should take it. It was the right moment for me, I hope the fans understood that at the time. I hope they don't blame me."
And how do you remember your time at Manchester City?
"Obviously a great club, everything there was top class, today we see City as one of the best teams in the world. I enjoyed my time there, although of course not exactly how I imagined it. I was always injured, health problems spoiled the engagement a lot. However, the professionalism and warmth of the people at the club are still in my memory. I had the opportunity to fight for the title, to play for the Champions League, that's what you do football for."
City made you the most expensive African footballer in history at the time, paying £25m for you. Did you feel the pressure of expectation on you?
"The pressure is always positive, I liked it. But unfortunately I couldn't influence everything. I tried my best to stay healthy as long as possible, but my body couldn't cope. I came to City right after the African Cup of Nations, I was tired, but I started working hard right away, training. And then I got injured. I recovered, then a month later I got another injury.
Actually, I didn't stay healthy for at least three months straight. Everybody was there for me, helping me, I had a personal trainer, physical therapists taking care of me. I did everything I needed to do. But my body just didn't allow me to play at that level. And when you're in Manchester, after a while they lose patience with you, which I don't blame them, it's understandable. If I had been able to stay healthy longer, it would have looked different."
Apart from the frequent injuries, is there anything else you regret during your involvement in Manchester?
"No. It was a great experience, I met a lot of great people there who were a lot of fun and I'm still in touch with them today. I won the League Cup there. It was a great experience and I still benefit from it to this day."
How would you compare the functioning of the dressing room at Sparta and Manchester, what were the relationships like there?
"There was a friendly atmosphere at both clubs, we listened to music together, danced, laughed... I think all football dressing rooms in the world are more or less the same. Of course, at Sparta it was probably more family-like because there were a lot of academy boys, whereas in Manchester there were always expensive reinforcements coming in. At Sparta, the dressing room was also a lot smaller in terms of space, so we were a bit closer to each other. That was a bit of a difference, but the basics are similar everywhere."
Today, Erling Haaland shines in Manchester City's attack. How do you see him?
"He's great, a goal scoring machine. They only ask him to score goals, no interplay, and that's what he's best at. Nobody can say a bad word about him because he does what is asked of him perfectly. And I think he's enjoying himself out there."
Any advice for the Spartans on how to defend him?
"Ha, I don't think so, I don't quite know myself. But I would advise them to enjoy their football and not try to crawl and retreat. If they do, Manchester will destroy them. Of course they have to defend well and be compact, but they also have to try their best going forward, to show their game face.
That way they can play a game they won't be ashamed of. Well, and even though they always say that, they need luck. If they don't, Manchester will dominate the game. But maybe they'll get lucky, score a goal and anything can happen. Sparta need to have their best day and hope Manchester City have a very bad one. And that can happen."
How are things with football right now? You last tried playing in Bolivia, do you have any other plans at 35?
"I'll play occasionally, but I'm not pushing myself anywhere anymore. If a club comes up, I'd like to try again, just not on a forceful basis. If it doesn't work out, nothing happens. God has blessed me with a great family, my boys play football at Newport County so I'm happy. I'm in business, currently at home in the Ivory Coast. I don't know exactly what I'm going to do next, but I want to stay in football, I'd like to get my own club and run it. Of course I need a proper education for that, so I'm looking at some business schools."
In the past you said you would like to finish your career at Sparta. Have you given up that idea?
"I can't do it as an active player anymore. However, if Prague could organise my farewell match, I would be the happiest. If Sparta would allow me to end my career at their stadium, it would be the greatest gift my beloved club could ever give me. I would enjoy it immensely."