'I didn't feel like a player at Chelsea'

Bertrand started for Chelsea in the 2012 Champions league final when the Blues dramatically beat Bayern Munich on penalties at the Allianz arena.

His decision to leave Stamford Bridge three years later did raise a few eyebrows... Why would you leave a club like Chelsea? The left-back has now explained his decision was down to football reasons.

‘I left for myself,’ said Bertrand, speaking at the launch of 'EA SPORTS FIFA 18'.

‘I wanted to feel like a footballer. I didn’t necessarily feel like a footballer at Chelsea. It was emotional in terms of Chelsea being the club I had been at since I was young and taken part in one of their most historic moments. There was the emotional attachment but from a football perspective it was a no-brainer. When I was there, whenever I did get the chance to play I never felt the full support to relax and enjoy my football.

‘The times I did play it was like an audition. And that is never healthy.

‘As a young player coming through you want the club to be stable enough to say, “We trust in you, go out there and play”.

‘You don’t want to make a young player feel on edge. I wanted that consistency — and for people to judge you they need to see you consistently.

‘Southampton has given me a fantastic base in being able to do that and progress.’

Since his move to St Mary's, Bertrand has gone on to become one of the Premier League's most accomplished left-backs, leading to call-ups to the England national team. 

‘The move to Southampton has gone perfectly.

‘I’m not saying I knew it was going to but I was confident in my ability — it’s just that Southampton gave me the opportunity to showcase it. The carrot of the World Cup is massive. You don’t blank it out. You just want to be on that plane. I was part of the Euro 2016 squad. It was disappointing, but I don’t dwell on it.

‘It’s a motivation for us. It was a massive let-down, but looking forward to the World Cup after being part of the last campaign, this team feels ready now. It feels like we are moving forward.’