‘I was trying not to lose my mind’ – ex-Rangers star Leon Balogun opens up on his struggles after Ibrox exit
LEON BALOGUN has opened up on his Rangers exit as he reveals his relief at joining QPR under Michael Beale.
The 34-year-old defender joined the EFL Championship side in the summer after agreeing a one-year deal to reunite with the former Rangers coach.
He left Ibrox following an emotional few weeks at Ibrox, losing the Europa League final on penalties to Eintracht Frankfurt and the Scottish Premiership title to Celtic.
He bowed out with a Scottish Cup to his name though after Rangers beat Hearts 2-0 at Hampden.
Now he reveals he had to try and not to "lose his mind" in the summer when his contract at Rangers ran it's course.
Balogun was on the hunt for a new club and he confesses it was a challenging time for him.
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He admits he struggled to find his next move because of his age, but was delighted when Beale's QPR came calling.
The defender has played an important role in the side's promotion push so far this campaign, appearing eight times in the league so far.
He told West London Sport: “It was a long summer but I was much more relaxed than I was last year, having achieved a few things last season. I was just waiting for the right thing to come through.
"I stayed up in Glasgow the whole time just trying to stay fit and not to lose my mind, but it was very, very challenging. I can’t lie.
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“That’s the game nowadays. They see a certain number, which is the age, and they are like ‘nah’.
“That’s what I had to deal with loads in the beginning, which obviously made it even more challenging because I know what I’m still capable of.
"It was just a matter of who is out there that believes in it?
“When QPR really had a go at me, I was like ‘right, let’s get this over the line. Let me reunite with Mick and see if we can be as successful as possible’.
"When Mick came in and said he's not going anywhere, it was great. He said we had seduced him with the performance so we've done our bit to convince him.
"He's got great integrity and great values, he just supported us with that act."
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