Erdal Rakip, 29 years old, midfielder of Swedish origin, but international for North Macedonia, addressed the Podcast Lundh the fleeting spell at Benfica, which resulted in… zero minutes and a lot of problems.
After a great season with Malmo in 2017, Rakip moved to Benfica in January 2018, but was immediately loaned to a Premier League team. «Yes, the season in Sweden ends early, in November. I moved in around January 20th. The plan was to sign for Benfica and be loaned out. It wasn’t decided that it would go to Crystal Palace, but it ended up being. It took me about a month, month and a half, to get in shape, because I was coming back from vacation in Sweden. And, at that time, Palace had a lot of injured players”, Rakip began by explaining.
Erdal Rakip even reveals a conversation with Palace’s then-coach, Roy Hodgson, when he found his rhythm: «’You’re in good shape, but we’re at the bottom of the table and I have to bet on the more experienced players to ensure we stay’. And at that point all their players came back from injuries, so he had to play with them to save their stay in the Premier League.”
His return to Benfica at the end of the 2018/19 season did not go as expected. «The plan was to be loaned to Palace, return to Benfica in the summer and do pre-season with them. The plan sounded great. But, out of nowhere, I was at home and I saw that Benfica had already started training. And I hadn’t received any information. I thought something wasn’t right. I called my agent at the time and he told me: ‘They gave you extra vacation’. I found it strange. Why would they give me extra vacation?”, he then asked.
Erdal Rakip was not satisfied and looked for answers: «Two weeks later, I flew to Lisbon. When I arrived at Benfica, I didn’t receive the opportunity they had promised me to train with the main team and do pre-season training. If it wasn’t good enough, I would understand, but I didn’t even get the chance to show myself. They sent me to team B. I only trained with them. And, worse: they wouldn’t let me play in team B’s matches. They didn’t keep their word. It was a very difficult time for me.”
The midfielder continues: «I stayed until January. I asked: ‘If I’m on team B, let me play, it could be a showcase for me’. Many Benfica B players were sold for large sums. But they said: ‘No, you don’t play’. Then, out of nowhere, when the market closed, I had the chance to train with the main team for two weeks. I trained really well, but then I injured my foot. When I recovered, I hoped to return to the A team, but they banned me again. Just because he was injured.”
Erdal Rakip’s drama also involves money. «Yes, I received everything, except the last salary, when I decided to terminate my contract to return to Malmo. They told me: ‘Or you come back here [e continuas sem jogar] or give up a month’s salary and leave’. I was in Malmo taking care of everything and Daniel Andersson [diretor do Malmo] He said to me: ‘Do you know that you won’t receive your last salary from Benfica?’. I asked why, I called there and they told me: ‘You have two options: either you sign this paper and give up the money, or you go back to Benfica’. I had to sacrifice a month’s salary from my contract with Benfica just to be able to leave and play football again. At the point I was at, at 21, I needed to play. There was no joy at Benfica, I just trained and didn’t play», says Rakip.
The player, who is now free from contract after three seasons at Antalyaspor, in Turkey, understands, despite everything, the club’s interest in signing him: «Benfica is a giant club. Clubs like Chelsea or Benfica hire everything they can. I went at zero cost, they only paid for the training fees. For them, I didn’t cost any money. They saw a 21-year-old player who had had a good season and decided to bet. But the fact that they didn’t even give me the opportunity… I still feel strange about it today. It’s sad.”
