Friendship with Mourinho & search for new club - what next for Smalling?
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- Chris Smalling is searching for a new club after playing every game for Saudi Pro League side Al-Fayha last season, taking his career tally to 580 club appearances across three countries plus 31 England caps.
- Smalling sent Mourinho a good luck message when he was appointed Real Madrid boss this summer, and the two still exchange memes despite Mourinho's public criticism of him in November 2016 over an injury.
- Smalling said Mourinho's belief pushed him to play through a broken toe via injections until he reached the medical limit, describing it as proof of how top managers earn trust from senior players.
- Roy Hodgson signed Smalling from non-league Maidstone to Fulham after watching one practice game, before Sir Alex Ferguson met him in a Blackburn hotel in January 2010 and signed him to Manchester United.
- Smalling won a title with Mourinho at Roma after their 2016-2018 spell together at Old Trafford, and says he has no plans to follow his old boss into coaching.
- Smalling is partnering with the Global Institute of Sport on an education programme for young players and has also invested in genetics testing to recalibrate his supplements, underscoring his intent to keep playing.
Why it matters: At 36 with 580 appearances across three countries and 31 England caps, Smalling is one of the few English defenders of his generation still active at the top level, and his next club decision lands alongside his post-playing projects with the Global Institute of Sport — making this a rare late-career free-agency move for an elite veteran.
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