Super Eagles defender Leon Balogun has opened up on his struggles after his contract with Glasgow Rangers expired last summer.
The 34-year-old joined the Scottish side in 2020 and helped the Gers win the Scottish Premier League and Scottish Cup and also reach the final of the Europa League, which they lost to Eintracht Frankfurt last season.
Balogun was finally elated after signing a one-year deal with English Championship side Queens Park Rangers in August.
“The last time I was out of contract was in 2014. I put my foot on my debut for Nigeria, missed out on the World Cup, so the club I was talking to back then didn’t sign me,” Balogun told The Beautiful game.
“I was not in a good place, but I was very positive because I hadn’t really done much in my career at that point.
“However, this summer hit me harder. I struggled because I had already built my career, and I was doing well financially and settled. And then, all of a sudden, there I was without a club.”
He added, “I was overwhelmed with the whole situation, everybody told me to take some time off, but I couldn’t because I needed to be ready for the new contract.
“I kept training and played some football with some of my guys to stay fit.
“I was in Ibiza for a week, Napoli, and then Positan for a week with my girlfriend. But when I returned to Glasgow I was always thinking.”
Balogun added that potential clubs were refusing to sign him because of his age. I was talking to clubs, and they were turning me down mainly because of my age, which was frustrating.”