Former West Ham midfielder Joao Mario has hit out at the Hammers’ fans for his failure to make his mark in England.
The Portuguese international was drafted in by David Moyes last season, playing 13 times and scoring juts twice before he made a return to Inter Milan.
Since then he has reestablished himself in the Inter side, and has been eager to shift the blame for his disappointing spell in London.
After falling out with the Italian giants prior to his West Ham stint, Mario, as quoted in Football.London, recently reaffirmed his newfound loyalty to his parent club.
He said: “Obviously I’m sorry. You learn from mistakes and that was a mistake. I have to respect a team like Inter who spent so much to sign me, and I’m very happy to have been given a second chance here.
“The Inter fans were also crucial. For them I was both an idol and a bad player. It would be great if I found the right balance.
“I’ve been in England and they’re all too quiet there. I prefer the warmth of our fans.”
OPINION
This is a cheap shot from Mario, and one that he definitely didn’t have to make. Aside from anything else, when a professional footballer tries to shift the blame like he has done here it makes him seem bitter and petty, and the Portuguese international has certainly done nothing to endear himself to his former fans here. Mario wasn’t too bad for the Hammers at times, but for a player of his calibre and pedigree, you would have expected more from him. Clearly, judging by these comments, he was never committed to his time in London, and viewed it only as a means to an end so that he could work his way back into the good books at Inter Milan. Hammers supporters will not stand for that kind of self-aggrandising, mercenary behaviour, and on the basis of his latest outburst against them, the chances are they won’t lose any sleep over the fact that he has returned to Italy.
