‘I rejected Juventus and was banned by my country – now I’m making my MMA debut’
Following a career which included playing alongside Petr Cech and Edin Dzeko, being suspended by his country and rejecting Juventus – Martin Fenin has now swapped football for MMA.
Fenin is best known for his time with the Czech Republic national team and in the Bundesliga with Eintracht Frankfurt – and now has the fire for individual competition.
The 35-year-old is set to make his professional MMA debut with European promotion Oktagon later this year having thrown himself into training following a football career in which he was never far from the headlines.
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The striker was thrust into the limelight alongside his young colleagues following a impressive FIFA Under 20 World Cup campaign back in 2007, in which his goal in the final was cancelled out by Sergio Aguero before a Mauro Zarate winner.
Life changed overnight for the FK Teplice prospect, who was the subject of transfer interest from top European clubs having also shined at club level alongside Dzeko.
Speaking exclusively to Daily Star Sport, Fenin said: “The World Cup was life-changing for all of us in the team. I had already played in the league for quite some time, but even so, we left there as a team from which no one expected anything, but we returned as stars.
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(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
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“After returning to the Czech Republic, the situation was very difficult, there were a lot of offers and interest from journalists, and it was difficult to decide where to go.
“I had only two offers on the table – Juventus and Frankfurt. I myself decided for Eintracht for the reason that I was becoming the most expensive signing in the club’s history and I had at least the basic certainty and hope that I would get space to play.
“That would certainly not have been the case at Juventus, where David Trezeguet and Alessandro Del Piero were in the team.”
(Image: OKTAGON UK & Ireland)
During his time in Germany at club level, Fenin as well as several others were suspended indefinitely by the Football Association of the Czech Republic for an alleged disciplinary breach.
Although he would return a year later in 2010, the incident left a bad taste in the mouth of the forward who would make his final international appearance the following year.
He said: “Back then we were fired for practically nothing, it was a made-up story. At the time it was not pleasant for us when they (the press) suggested to us that we were supposed to be with prostitutes, they were standard friends, normal girls.”
(Image: OKTAGON UK & Ireland)
Having called time on his football career, at the age of 35 Fenin has found a new challenge in the form of MMA having been approached by Oktagon.
He added: “When I got home I told my wife and she said I’d be crazy not to try it and that she wanted to see if I still had the heart of an athlete. She was the main reason I finally said yes to the challenge and I’m so glad she did!
“Training is much harder and more demanding than in football and I’m getting used to it. There is a completely different coordination of the body. But I’m starting to enjoy it, I’m curious to see how I’ll do when I step into the cage.”
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