Portsmouth must regret not doing more to keep 210-appearance player - he’s now a Champions League star | OneFootball

Christian Burgess left Portsmouth after 210 appearances, and the club must regret not doing more to retain his services.

Christian Burgess played 210 times across all competitions for Portsmouth and was an integral figure in the heart of defence in the Pompey squad that achieved promotion to League One in 2017.

Burgess spent time in the youth academies of Arsenal, West Ham and Bishop's Stortford before landing a professional contract with Middlesbrough in July 2012, where he would make one senior appearance for the club.

The towering Englishman spent time on loan with Hartlepool United and Peterborough United before joining the latter on a permanent basis, where he would spend just one season before being on the move again, this time in another permanent switch to Portsmouth on the South Coast.

Pompey had endured two consecutive seasons in England's fourth tier after tumbling down the divisions all the way from the Premier League, and Burgess was recruited with the aim of helping fire the club back up through the leagues.

Portsmouth must regret not doing more to convince Christian Burgess to stay with the club

Burgess quickly endeared himself to Portsmouth fans with his displays, earning a sixth-place finish in his first season in the club and then a title-winning campaign during the 2016/17 season under manager Paul Cook, where Burgess made 44 appearances in the league, scoring four times and assisting twice.

He would play at least 25 times in each of the next three seasons at Fratton Park as Pompey maintained their status as a League One club, but began to struggle for game time with the emergence of Jack Whatmough and Matt Clarke, the preferred duo in the middle of a back four.

Burgess once again established himself at the heart of defence in his final season at Portsmouth, though the season was cut short due to Covid-19, and although he was offered a new contract with the club, the Englishman turned down the offer and pursued a shock move to Belgian second-tier outfit Union Saint-Gilloise.

When responding to his decision to move, Burgess said: "It was a gamble football-wise (going to Belgium), for sure, but there was enough in it to tempt me.

"I can recall saying that even if the football didn't work out, even if we (Union SG) remained in the second division with the money similar to what I was earning at Pompey, I would have all these new life experiences.

"This was a chance to learn a new language and submerge myself somewhere else. It was a gamble, but it wasn't unmanageable. I saw enough positives which made me really comfortable in the decision. I couldn't say no to the opportunity."

Christian Burgess has been thriving in the Belgian capital since his gamble of a free transfer

Since his move to Brussels, Burgess has thrived at the heart of defence, earning promotion to the Jupiler Pro League in his first season at the club and has since gone on to make over 200 appearances for Union SG, more than he made with Portsmouth.

Now captain of the club, the minnows from the Belgian capital won their first top flight title in 90 years last season, with the English defender making 30 appearances across the entire campaign. This means that Union SG, and Burgess, will compete in the Champions League proper for the first time this season.

When asked about whether he would return to England to play football one day, Burgess told The News: "Coming back to England is never going to happen, it’s just never going to happen.

"There’s just not the right fit any more for where my career is and where Pompey are. I don’t even think they’d want to sign a 33-year-old centre-half because there’s no value in it for them, apart from performance.

"Even if a top Championship club offered something better financially, do you want to go and play 24 away games in a season, constantly away from your family? Or do you remain in Belgium, where we never stay over in hotels because everything is so close, apart from the occasional 1pm kick-off?

"For me, England is just not going to happen, especially at my age."

It's clear Burgess doesn't regret his decision to challenge himself abroad, whilst Portsmouth, on the other hand, who will be pleased to see how he has progressed will also wish they had done more to keep the towering defender at Fratton Park.

Now 33-years-old, Burgess will compete in the Champions League for the first time in his career, eight years after he played his last game in League Two.