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Toronto born Canadian International Atiba Hutchinson is a veteran central midfielder and the reigning Canadian Player of the Year. Hutchison has enjoyed a successful career at the club level in Europe, playing for renowned clubs such as FC Copenhagen, PSV and Besiktas. He has also been a key player for his national team and has been capped 64 times by Canada at the International level.
RedNation recently had the chance to catch up with the classy Canadian International to chat about his first training camp under new Canadian National Team Head Coach Benito Floro and leaving his former club PSV and joining on with Turkish heavyweights Besiktas.
RedNation Online: You’ve left PSV after finishing second in the Eredivisie. With that standing, you would have been back in the Champions League for the first time in several years. Do you have any reservations about leaving that club given that situation? Or do you feel like you accomplished everything you set out to accomplish at PSV?
Atiba Hutchinson: I had always wanted to go to Holland. I thought it was a good step to go to a big club in a big league and just learn a lot as player and hopefully take another step forward. I really enjoyed my time there. I learnt a lot as a player. We came close to winning the league and I had hoped that I would have been able to do that during the three years that I was there. Unfortunately, we didn’t get that opportunity but it was a great experience. At the end of it, I decided I wanted to try a new adventure. Besiktas came along in Turkey and I thought it would be a good move for me and a new challenge.
RNO: You did mention a while back that you wouldn’t be renewing your contract with PSV. As a result, you missed out on the last Gold Cup due to the fact that you were between clubs when the tournament occurred. As a dedicated member of the Canadian National Team, how hard a decision was it for you to make to skip that Gold Cup?
Atiba Hutchinson: It was hard. It was the first time that I hadn’t been involved in a Gold Cup since I started with the national team. It wasn’t an easy decision, but it was the right thing for me to do. I was worried about getting an injury while I was between clubs. At my age, if I got another injury, it would have been more difficult to find something else. So I had to make that decision. I really wanted to be a part of it and I want to play for Canada every chance I get. The Gold Cup especially has always been a good experience for me. I would have loved to have been a part of it and I did feel a bit upset that I was not able to play in that tournament.
RNO: The last time we had a chance to you speak with you was near the tail end of your time with PSV. At that time you mentioned playing in England as a particular dream that you had and also highlighted Germany as a possible favoured destination. Did either of those countries end being options and did you explore those possibilities?
Atiba Hutchinson: At the time there was talk and everything like that. But there was nothing really concrete that came forward. I was just being patient and waiting for the right thing. The best option for me ended up being Besiktas. They are a club that are well known in Europe and who have been playing in the Europa League and Champions League in the past. At the end, they ended up being the club that I felt most comfortable with.
RNO: How did the deal to sign with Besiktas come about?
Atiba Hutchinson: It was something that my agent had been working on. The club contacted my agent and they had known about me and had followed me throughout my career. My name had been mentioned in the Turkish media a couple of other times before. They had kept tabs on me and my agent told me about the interest. We went back and forth for a little while and obviously I had to think about it. In the end, we agreed upon everything and I joined the club. So far I have been enjoying it and I think it has been a good step for me and I have been happy with the move.
RNO: What attracted you about playing in Turkey?
Atiba Hutchinson: More and more players have been going to Turkey. Didier Drogba, Wesley Sneijder and a lot of other big names have joined the league and that is something that makes it interesting. I have followed it for some time. I have some friends who have played there and they told me a lot about the league. I also knew what a great city Istanbul is and that the supporters and fans there really love football. It is nice to be in a culture where they love their football like that.
RNO: A number of players from Canada and elsewhere have had some financial issues while playing professionally in Turkey. There also the issues that have come to light regarding some match-fixing in the Super Lig. What was it about Besiktas as a club that might have calmed any reservations you might have had about the league?
Atiba Hutchinson: Like I said, I have known about Besiktas for a while and they have been in and out of Europe over the years. I knew it was such a big club, so I didn’t any worries about money being paid or anything like that. I had a thought about it, but I ultimately felt comfortable because it is such a big club. It is sometimes some of the smaller teams that have some problems. For me, because of the size of the club and with it being in Istanbul, I felt comfortable with coming to the league.
RNO: With PSV you played quite a bit at right back. You are now back playing in the midfield. How motivated are you to reclaim the position and have a full season at your natural position?
Atiba Hutchinson: That was also something that I was looking forward to. I wanted to get back to playing in the middle and just enjoying my football. I’ve always preferred being a central midfielder and with moving clubs I had an ambition of playing there. That was also something that I thought a lot about. It is nice to be back in the middle and back in my element and really enjoying my football.
RNO: What are your initial impressions of new Canadian National Team Head Coach Benito Floro now that you have trained under him?
Atiba Hutchinson: He is a good coach. He knows the game and he has been around and has a lot of experience. I think it has been a good couple of days so far, with us getting to know him and with him getting to know the players. It’s been a nice couple of days so far and training has gone well. We’re looking forward to the games that are coming up.
RNO: Going forward with the national team, how do you see your role? Is it similar to what it was during the last round of World Cup qualifying? Or does it change with all the young players coming in?
Atiba Hutchinson: I want to be involved with the team for as long as I can. I will help with my experience and I will do whatever I can to help out with the younger players who are coming up. We have some young talented players in and to be a part of that is nice. I remember when I was young I looked up to a lot of the older players like Paul Stalteri, Tomasz Radzinski and other guys. Now I can help out the young players the same way that those guys helped me out. Obviously, I just want to continue to help the team grow a little bit. I think we are on the right track. Unfortunately, the last World Cup qualifying didn’t end that great, but it is time to turn the page and have a new chapter. Hopefully we can continue on and bring a lot of success to the national team.
RNO: You had some injury problems during your time with PSV and during the beginning of the last round of World Cup qualifying. You are 30 years old now. How is your fitness and how are you feeling with respect to the injury issues that are hopefully behind you now?
Atiba Hutchinson: I’m feeling good now. It was tough with those injuries that I had, which were really pretty much the same injury reoccurring. It’s not easy being on the sidelines and going through the rehab. It is all behind me now and I’m playing without pain. Being pain-free is a nice feeling and I don’t really want to look back. I just want to enjoy the time when I am out there playing.
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