Mason Holgate has insisted he didn’t come to Qatar for a holiday – although ironically that’s exactly what he did when he got the call to join.
The only way to recover mentally was akin to a holiday, but the former Everton defender is still good enough to play in England.
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The 29-year-old ended his decade-long stay on Merseyside last season before making a surprise move to Qatari club Al Gharafa.
A surprise for Holgate’s former teammates, who jokingly asked if “there was anything I could do to get them here.”
And a little bolt from the blue for the Toffees cult hero, who initially missed the call from Al Gharafa while playing golf.
“It was the first time in my life that I openly didn’t have a club,” Holgate exclusively told The Pitch Prospect.com from Qatar.
“I was playing golf, and when I was playing golf, I would just throw my phone either in the stroller or in my bag. Then when I got off the golf course, I got a missed call from my agent.
“I was talking to a few clubs in different places at the time. Then I just thought, ‘Oh, we have a meeting with Al Gharafa in Qatar. They need to get on Zoom.’
“I ended up speaking to the manager that evening with my agent via Zoom and then I spoke to a few other clubs but I think the plan they put forward here sounded really exciting and something I wanted to be a part of.”
Mason Holgate on life in Qatar
Holgate had previously spent his entire career in England, initially with Barnsley before moving to Everton in 2015.
“In any case, there was a lot of fear [moving abroad]”He added. “When I spoke to the clubs I had already spoken to and Al Gharafa, I still found it difficult to make a decision.”
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“I don’t think I’ve ever lived outside England. I was in Southampton for six months and it felt like a million miles away.
“So I’m not sure how comfortable I was with that before I left the North of England or England.
“When I sat down and talked to everyone about it, obviously my agents, my families and so on, I just felt like it was the best decision, as I felt at the time, it was the best decision for me for numerous reasons, to be fair, I think at the time.”
Holgate was part of an influx of Premier League and European talent who moved to Qatar in the summer.
Liverpool legend Roberto Firmino, Fulham hero Aleksandar Mitrovic and former Wolves winger Pablo Sarabia have found a home in the 2022 World Cup host country alongside Italy’s Euro 2020 winner Marco Verratti.
Holgate’s Al Gharafa side finished third in the league last season but are currently four points clear at the top of the Qatar Stars League.
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Al-Gharafa factfile
Founded: 1979
Title: 7 first division championships
8 Emir Cups
3 League Cups
2 Supercups in Qatar
3 Qatar Stars Cup
4 second division championships
Home stadium: Thani bin Jassim Stadium, capacity: 25,000
Notable former players: Marcel Desailly
Wesley Sneijder
Ze Roberto
Juninho Pernambucano
Qatar “an emerging league”
Holgate told The Pitch Prospect: “There were a lot of people in a similar situation to me, like they just wanted a new challenge.”
“It’s an up-and-coming league. Everyone knows Saudi Arabia, the MLS. But as you see now, a lot more names are coming into this league and it’s easy to see why.
“It’s a beautiful place to live. It’s incredible. Everything you want here is here.”
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“It’s just very easy to get there if you speak English. Of course, with my accent it’s a little more difficult. I have to slow down a little.”
“Football is getting better. I think just with the names coming here it’s becoming a lot more competitive.
“Even playing the Champions League games is a completely new experience, a completely different kind of football.
“You play against teams from Saudi Arabia, you play against teams from the United Arab Emirates and it has been a very good experience so far that I have enjoyed.”
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“I can still play in England”
Holgate took part in all five of Al Gharafa’s games in the AFC Champions League – a tournament for which Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr failed to qualify.
Regarding his next steps, the Jamaican international admitted: “I’m 29 years old. Of course I still believe that I can play in England.”
“I am here now in Qatar and Al Gharafa and I love it.
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“I love it here, but at the end of the day I still believe I’m good enough to play at the same level if I have the chance.
“I’m still going away with Jamaica and playing internationally, and I’m playing with the guys who are still in England – I don’t feel bad. I don’t feel like I’m slowing down.”
“I think that’s a lot of assumptions people make. You come here to vacation. I don’t feel like I came here to vacation.”
“I came here to play soccer. I feel refreshed and energized and I feel like I’m on the best path. And I just want to play as much soccer as I can for as long as I feel like I can.”