Chris Smalling ba ƙwallon ƙafa na yau da kullum ba ne. Yana da shekara 36, ya buga wasanni 580 na kulob a ƙasashe uku daban-daban, ya lashe kofuna tare da Manchester United da Roma, ya samu kaps 31 na England, kuma ya yi yawancin aikinsa ƙarƙashin Sir Alex Ferguson ko Jose Mourinho. Yanzu ya koma arewa maso yammacin Ingila tare da iyalinsa, yana maida hankali kan manufa ɗaya — neman sabon kulob.

Jiki da aka gina don daumawar wasa

Smalling ya ba da kwarewarsa ta tsayawa a mataki mai gasa har zuwa tsakiyar shekarunsa na talatin kuɗin gudanar da kansa da kyau. Yana tunawa da tasirin Ferguson a farkon aikinsa, yana ba da labarin yadda manajan United ya ƙarfafa yan wasa irin su Ryan Giggs su yi yoga.

"Bayan ka wuce shekara 30, kowane shekara yana da daraja wajen jin daɗin wasa da son ƙwallon ƙafa," in ji Smalling. "Ainihin lokacin horo yana da gajarta sosai. Dawwama da murmurewa yana farawa da wuri — daga abin da nake ci da abin da nake yi a tsakanin zaman horo, har zuwa kayan abinci na yanzu."

Har ma ya yi gwajin ƙwayoyin halitta kafin kakar wasa, wanda ya haifar da manyan canje-canje a shirin kayan abincin nasa. Kakar wasan da ta gabata ya buga duk wasannin Al-Fayha a Saudi Pro League — rikodin da yake alfahari da shi musamman.

Daga Maidstone zuwa Manchester United

Babu wani abu daga cikin waɗannan da ya iya zama haka shekara 18 da suka wuce. Smalling yana buga ƙwallon ƙafa mara sana'a a Maidstone kuma yana shirya karatu a jami'a don tattalin arziki na kuɗi lokacin da Roy Hodgson ya kalle shi a wasa ɗaya na atisaye ya miƙa masa kwantiragin Fulham nan take.

"Ban ma kai tsarin D ba," in ji Smalling yayin tunawa. "Ban sami lokaci na fahimtar abin da ya faru ba. Na kasance a cikin mamaki sosai."

Canja wurin zuwa Manchester United ya zo da sauri ma fiye da haka. Dare ɗaya kafin wasan Premier League a Blackburn a ranar 17 ga Janairu 2010, Hodgson ya tsaida Smalling mai shekara 20 a kofar motar tawagar ya sanar da shi cewa Fulham ta yarda da tayin kuma Ferguson zai isa otal ɗin nan da mintuna 45.

"Na fara kiran mahaifiyata, sannan na zauna ɗakin ina tunanin yadda hakan zai kasance," in ji shi. "A gaskiya, mun zauna a can aƙalla awanni biyu. Ya kasance mai nutsuwa kuma mai ƙarfafa zuciya. Ya gaya mini zan sami dama kuma ya gaskata da ni."

Abin da ya sa Ferguson da Mourinho suka yi girma

Smalling yana magana kai tsaye game da sukar da aka yi masa a fili daga Mourinho a watan Nuwamba 2016 game da kin buga wasa yana da rauni, amma yana bayyana lamarin daban-daban fiye da yadda masu kallo da yawa suka yi.

"A United ko Roma, Jose ya zaɓe ni don yawancin wasanni saboda muna da alaƙa mai kyau kuma ya amince da ni," in ji shi. "A wannan yanayin, ana mini allura a yatsa da aka karye saboda ya tona min wannan tunani cewa zan iya yin komai, ko da yake, watakila, bai kamata ba. Hakan ya ba ni ƙarin imani, saboda sauƙi ne a zaɓi wani mai kare tsaka — amma shi yana son ni."

Smalling yana ganin cewa ƙwarewar Ferguson da Mourinho ta musamman ita ce ikon su na dasa imani na gaskiya a cikin yan wasa masu gogewa, ba a cikin matasa kaɗai ba. Har yanzu yana hulɗa da Mourinho, kuma ya ce ya yi masa fatan alheri lokacin da Ba-Fotigal din ya karɓi ragamar Real Madrid a wannan lokacin rani.

Rayuwa bayan fagen wasa

Smalling bashi da sha'awar shiga horarwa. A maimakon haka, yana haɓaka shirin ilimi ga matasan yan wasa tare da haɗin gwiwar Global Institute of Sport, tare da ayyuka uku ko huɗu irin waɗannan da yake shirin fadada su bayan karewar aikinsa.

"A yanzu, komai yana mai da hankali kan wasa saboda ina da wannan sha'awa da ƙwazo, kuma kididdiga ta jiki tana da kyau," in ji shi.

Duk wanda ya rattaba hannu da shi zai sami ɗan wasa wanda kullum ya inganta muhalli na kulob a wajen fagen horo — a Al-Fayha, ya matsa da kansa don a sabunta dakin motsa jiki zuwa ƙa'idojin ƙwararru. Ya ƙi wata dama a jami'a don ɗaukar haɗari a Fulham. Shekaru sama da ashirin bayan haka, wannan shawarar ba ta taɓa zama mai ma'ana irin wannan ba.