Moroccan veteran Adel Taarabt recently announced his retirement from professional football. After a career full of personal flair, the Moroccan player who once captivated Premier League fans with his excellent skills and intuition recently appeared on talkSPORT's "Drive" show to reflect on his unforgettable experiences.

Still going out the night before matches

Key players are typically expected to maintain a more professional lifestyle, but Adel Taarabt clearly didn't always follow that standard.

The Queens Park Rangers legend admitted that he frequently stayed out until the early morning before matches.

He loved London's nightlife so much that talkSPORT presenter and former Tottenham player Darren Bent previously suggested that Taarabt's rejection of Liverpool's offer was related to his lifestyle choices.

Adel Taarabt confessed: "Sometimes, on match day, I would still go out."

"For example, if the match was on Saturday, I'd go out Friday evening, then the game would be at 3 p.m. on Saturday, and the team would only gather at Loftus Road at 1 p.m."

For many managers, especially when dealing with a team captain, such behavior would be difficult to accept. But Warnock didn't lose his temper over it.

Adel Taarabt recalled how he balanced his social life with his team responsibilities:

"At that age, it was easy for me."

"I was the team captain, so before the match we'd go with manager Neil to see the referee."

"He'd tell me: 'Listen, mate, I know you were out last night, but now you just need to get out there and help me win this game.'"

Special relationship with Warnock

The special relationship between Adel Taarabt and then-QPR manager Warnock is no secret.

The popular English manager previously revealed that to fully unlock Taarabt's talent, he had to make certain concessions regarding team rules.

When asked about Warnock's role in his career, Adel Taarabt even joked:

"I think I meant more to him than he meant to me!"

Taarabt then described some of the special arrangements he enjoyed at Queens Park Rangers.

"Sometimes I wouldn't even train five days a week. I could just come in on Friday and then play on Saturday!"

Adel Taarabt also said:

"Neil Warnock wasn't a crazy tactician, and I didn't always like his training methods."

"So he'd just tell me: 'Come in when you want, as long as you're happy.'"

Taarabt: Juande Ramos was the worst manager I ever had

If Warnock was one of Taarabt's favorite managers, he didn't have such positive feelings about his manager at Tottenham.

In 2007, Adel Taarabt joined Tottenham during Martin Jol's tenure but failed to establish himself as a regular, making just 15 appearances.

His situation worsened when Juande Ramos took over as manager.

Reflecting on his first preseason after joining Tottenham, Adel Taarabt told talkSPORT: "At that time, I thought I'd start the new season in great form."

"But suddenly I was left out of the squad and couldn't get any playing time."

"That team was unstable at the time, changing managers every six months, which wasn't good for young players."

"Ramos was the worst. I absolutely couldn't understand what this man was thinking."

"Then I thought: 'I need to get out of here.'"

Переведено ИИ.

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