Tommy Mooney told Soccer AM why he decided to retire just six months after moving to Spanish side UD Marbella.
Hornets legend enjoying retired life
Watford legend Tommy Mooney called time on a career which spanned two decades last year, after his Spanish adventure turned into a nightmare.
The 38-year-old opted for a move to Segunda División B side UD Marbella in 2008, but struggled to come to terms with the clubs defensive approach to football.
That coupled with various run-ins with the manager and Mooney decided he was ready to hang up his boots for good.
The fourth inductee into the Watford Hall of Fame, Mooney still resides in Spain but admitted the country's footballing philosophy was ultimately the reason he decided to retire.
"With Spanish football they try not to lose games, whereas in England I spent 20 years trying to win games," he told
Soccer AM.
"I was there for about six months and I had about three crosses, it's not really my cup of tea, plus they weren't paying us so that put a seal on it.
"Some English investors took over the club and it backfired on them a bit so it all went pear-shaped, and I didn't get on with the coach, not the first time that's happened granted!
"He was just too defensive and I didn't like the way he spoke to some of the younger players, he was a bit of a bully.
Universal language
Football might be a universal language, however Mooney revealed that while he was able to understand what the manager and coaches wanted from him, he often struggled to get his own point across.
"I was the only Brit in the dressing room, the rest were all Spanish or Argentinean so all Spanish speaking", he said.
"But some of the older guys spoke good English so we would have a 'spanglish' conversation every morning with probably five or six of the lads, and if you can understand four or five words out of ten you can get the gist of the conversation.
"And football is football. For 20 years I've listened to the same things from managers, so I virtually knew what he was going to say before he was saying it.
"But if you understand four or five words it's enough to get the gist, it's just not enough to make my point understood or heard.
"So what I wanted to say I'd say in English, unless I was really angry in which case I'd just shout loud and make angry faces and that's almost Spanish anyway!"
Skiing trip
A cult hero amongst the Vicarage Road faithful, he revealed a skiing trip with his family during the Spanish winter break made up his mind that he didn't want to play football anymore.
"I took the kids skiing for the first time, because in England you can't get insurance to ski as a footballer. So I was 37 and had never skied, which isn't the norm, but we went and we loved it.
"I was supposed to go back in on Boxing Day for training and I decided then that, the kids were having such a good time, I should just ring them up and say 'sorry I'm going to stay skiing'!"
