Aaron Wan-Bissaka has revealed how he lost his passport the night before he was to flee to meet his new Manchester United teammates for the first time.
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Wan-Bissaka shot to the star at Crystal Palace 2018, before moving £ 50 million to United in the summer of 2019.
Writing for The Players’ Tribune about his life and career, the 23-year-old right-back explained how he had actually planned to stay at Palace longer, but could not refuse a move to United which he describes as “the biggest club in the world”.
‘There’s a lot you do not know about Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
So, let me tell you about the journey that made me who I am today. ‘
✍️ @awbissaka https://t.co/TS62oIdgHi
– Players’ Tribune Football (@TPTFootball) July 16, 2021
He also revealed how a lost passport just before United’s season tour of Australia may have signaled a bad start after his big money transfer. But since they are the super club they are, United were able to quickly sort out the situation.
“After I signed, I went on holiday to Ibiza for a few days with some friends to relax before the transfer was officially announced,” Wan-Bissaka wrote. I celebrated out there when it was public, but it still hadn’t sunk in … “Am I a Manchester United player now?”
“But the biggest reality check actually happened shortly after, when my passport disappeared.
“The next day I had to leave Ibiza to meet the squad for the first time and fly out to Australia for the preseason tour.
“This was the first time I met my teammates. The first time I was going to represent United. My first working day basically. But my passport was gone. Just gone.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka with his United teammates / Marc Atkins / Getty Images
“I started to panic. I searched the villa everywhere. I just thought, ‘How will it work?’ I have to be in Australia on Sunday! I have not even met my teammates yet … What a first impression this is! ”
But a call to the defender’s new club quickly got things on the right track.
“Finally, my agent called United and explained what had happened,” he wrote. “Let’s just say … They had my back. I do not know how but they arranged it.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka has been a mainstay in United’s run to the Europa League final / Visionhaus / Getty Images
“Within a day – one day – they got a new passport. It’s probably Manchester United!”
Read the whole piece on The Players Tribune here.
