Mark Hughes winds up a legend
MARK HUGHES • SALOMON KALOU • LEE CATTERMOLE • SANDER WESTERVELD Manchester United’s Welsh warrior on beers, reluctantly joining Barça, Bayern and getting binned for David Beckham
You broke through at Manchester United in the early ’ 80s under Ron Atkinson – he was known as a big personality...
He was larger than life. He liked everything that went with being the Manchester United manager. He enjoyed good wine, nice suits and a bit of gold here and there. I was forever grateful that he gave me an opportunity. He was prepared to put me in as a young kid, so you’re always appreciative to the coach that gives you that chance.
United’s players famously enjoyed a few beers in those days. Were you among the main offenders?
That was the culture at the time. I don’t think we were any better or worse than any other team. I couldn’t keep up with the main guys, to be honest. I’d go out drinking with them occasionally and they soon saw me off. These days, clubs might take the squad white- water rafting or something as part of team bonding exercises. Our bonding was done in the pub!
You had become the team’s main source of goals by the summer of 1986. Why did you decide to leave for Barcelona? Was it money related?
No it wasn’t money related, but it’s true that in those days the big money was abroad. Six months before leaving United I was earning £ 120 a week. They upped it to £ 1,000 before I left, but only because the transfer fee they could command was linked to my wages. At the time, it was just assumed that I wanted to leave and it snowballed from there. I was quite a quiet person and didn’t have the self confidence to say I didn’t believe it was the best move for me. Even right up until I got on the plane, I was hoping the move would fall flat on its face. It didn’t though, so I headed off to Barcelona.
Their manager at the time, Terry Venables, also signed Gary Lineker from Everton to form an all- British strike partnership at the Camp Nou. Gary stayed for three years, but it didn’t work out for you...
I was younger than Gary – he’d recently got married, so his off- field life was more settled than mine. I’d only just met my wife a couple of months before I left England, so that was hard for us as a pair. Off the field I wasn’t as happy as I should have been, but ultimately it was the football that was the issue. I was an aggressive forward and Spanish referees didn’t really appreciate that. Whenever I tried to show that part of my game, the refs were on me like a ton of bricks. I couldn’t show my best side.
You joined Bayern Munich on loan in 1987- 88 and played alongside Lothar Matthaus. How did he compare with the leaders at Old Trafford?
Lothar was the main man at Bayern. He was so strong and forthright and he didn’t suffer fools. There was a hierarchy in the squad and only the top people would sit at his table at meal times. I liked to go and sit there just to wind him up! I don’t think I was ever invited by him. It was a good group, though – my room- mate was Hansi Flick who’s gone on to great things as a manager. There were some really strong characters in that squad – everyone understood exactly where they were in the pecking order.
You once played two matches in one 1987 day, for Wales in a Euro 88 qualifer and Bayern in a German Cup tie. How did that come about?
After my debut for Bayern, [ club president] Uli Hoeness invited me to his house for dinner and to chat about how I’d found it. It came up that I was playing for Wales the following Wednesday, away against Czechoslovakia – the same day that Bayern had a German Cup match against Borussia Monchengladbach. Uli asked what time my game was and I said it was 1pm. “That’s fine,” he said. “You’ll be able to play for us in the evening.” He came to the Wales game, and as soon as it finished we jumped in a car and drove to the airport. We actually flew over our stadium with the cup game already underway. We were losing when I came on after about 60 minutes and ended up winning 3- 2. I wasn’t the guy who changed the game, to be honest, but I got all the headlines anyway.
You then returned to Manchester United to play for an under- fire Alex Ferguson. How important was Eric Cantona’s arrival from Leeds in 1992 in terms of changing the club’s fortunes?
Eric was different. He saw things differently, acted differently and walked into rooms in a different manner. But we all respected him from the outset because of his ability. He was Fergie’s favourite and we accepted that. And he got away with a lot of things that the rest of us wouldn’t have. Eric was a maverick but he always produced, so we didn’t have any issues with his behaviour. He was the catalyst for us when he joined from Leeds. He made us Premier League champions.
Before the 1995- 96 season you were one of several senior players replaced by the Class of ’ 92, including Paul Scholes, David Beckham and Gary Neville. Did you think Ferguson was crazy?
No, because we already knew about them. Every senior player at United recognised that those lads were ready for first- team football. Sir Alex let Paul Ince, Andrei Kanchelskis and myself go – and he was criticised for it. But he knew the quality was coming through and that’s the sign of good management. He had to regenerate the team, and selling us was key to raising funds. Sir Alex liked to get five or six good years out of you and then sell you while he could still get a decent fee.
You joined Chelsea where you played with greats like Gianfranco Zola, Ruud Gullit and Gianluca Vialli. Was that a fun time?
I really enjoyed my spell with Chelsea. It was a special time for the club, and quite similar to when I joined Manchester United in that they hadn’t won a trophy for so long. I was one of several guys that helped to change that. I went there at the same time as Gullit – we were the first two. Then Zola and Vialli came. Zola was incredible. He was exactly how you expect him to be: humble, a lovely guy, but an exceptional footballer as well. Playing alongside him was a privilege.
“MATTHAUS WAS THE MAIN MAN AT BAYERN MUNICH, SO I LIKED TRYING TO WIND HIM UP!”