"Out of nowhere I just lost my passion and the love for football" - Remco Evenepoel explains how he switched to cycling before success

Remco Evenepoel is a proven winner in cycling, the reigning World Champion, Grand Tour and monument winner at such a young age, he's part of the young generation that has taken over cycling. However it wasn't always like that, the Belgian was actually a late starter in the sport, following a sting in football.

"I started at the age of four to try to work and become a professional football player," Evenepoel said in an interview with Eurosport's 'The Cycling Show'. "So really, really early, when I was very small. I started in Anderlecht, in my eyes the best team in Belgium. I did seven years there, and then I left to a club in Holland, PSV, and then in the end I came back to the same club that I left."

Evenepoel was a promising football player in the youth ranks playing for several top teams and the national ranks. However an injury led to a change in his path. "Things got a bit wrong, I also broke my left hip, I had to come back from the injury and I started to ride a bike a bit more because for my hip it was the best movement, not too much contact with the floor so it was good rehabilitation," he explained. 

The seed had been planted, and then it grew as after his recovery he wasn't getting the same opportunities. "And then I wasn't put in the starting 11 anymore, on the bench, got left at home sometimes... Out of nowhere I just lost my passion and the love for football and I wanted to stop completely with that and try something different. In the end I chose for cycling, and I'm happy that I did."