The former Monaco striker says team spirit was built in simple ways during his era — not through WhatsApp groups, but face-to-face conversations.
“We’d go for one drink when we got back into Monaco,” Hateley told Football Presse. “It started with me and Glenn Hoddle. Then three or four of us. Then six or seven. It became a ritual.”
The result?
“It brought the team together. It wasn’t excessive. It was about feeling for each other.”
Hateley contrasts that with today’s game.
“I look at the modern game and you see all these players now on phones. That’s never relationship building. You’re not inside your mate’s head.”
He believes something essential is being lost.
“You never build that bond. I find it really, really difficult now to explain that side of the game to the younger generation.”
For Hateley, team chemistry wasn’t built in analytics rooms.
It was built in moments.