Algeria:
President told Mahrez: thank you for making us
proud On the 25 April, Riyad Mahrez was named PFA Player of the Year, becoming
the first African to win the coveted award. Two days later, the president of
Algeria, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, issued a statement on state television
congratulating the winger on his exploits and subsequently thanking him for
inspiring Algeria’s children and making the country proud. Algerians have
followed Leicester’s historic run closely. Mahrez’s mesmeric play has dominated
the front pages of every daily paper. Scores of.....
The fact that he has never played for the national team is perhaps
also part of the reason he is not being given huge media coverage, or the fact
that he was born in a small town, General Roca, 1,000 kilometres from Buenos
Aires. He is still an unknown quantity in his homeland. “I didn’t leave
Argentina in the best way, pretty much by the back door, to pick up the fight
[to succeed] in Spain’s second division” he told La Nación, last month. In the
country of Lionel Messi, a lot of Barcelona shirts are being sold on the streets
but no Leicester ones, and it is doubtful whether the country’s president
Mauricio Macri – who was chairman of Boca Juniors in the 1990s – is even aware
that an Argentinian striker has played a part in Leicester winning the Premier
League. Of course, websites are reporting his goals and Leicester’s wins but no
one is suggesting that he should join Lionel Messi and Sergio Agüero in La
Albiceleste; although the recent, touching letter of Claudio Ranieri to his
players caught the media spotlight over here more than Ulloa’s achievements
when coming off the bench.
France:
‘It is shocking that no one had noticed
Kanté before’ Ligue 1 does not enjoy the same profile in France as the top
clubs in the Premier League have in England, so there was something of an unknown
quality to N’Golo Kanté to many casual football supporters in the country when
he moved to Leicester from Caen at the beginning of the season. It was not
until the Foxes had been well established in first place and the Paris-born
midfielder had been called for the national squad that people really started to
take notice of him. With greater coverage has followed greater notoriety,
although his explosion on the field still seems to be regarded with curiosity
as opposed to incredible fanfare. Apart from his former sporting director at
Caen, Xavier Gravelaine, who told Ouest France last month: “I’ve watched a lot
of Leicester matches and N’Golo is the same there as he was with Caen. The
difference is that he’s playing in the Premier League.
It’s shocking that no
one’s noticed it before. His explosion doesn’t surprise me.”
Germany:
Hometown
celebrates success of loveable oddity Huth In Germany, Berlin-born defender
Robert Huth has long been seen as a loveable oddity: a born Berliner who never
played in the domestic league; a player who looked like he belonged to another
era even though he took part in modern German football’s sea-change moment; a
cult hero, but an imported one. While Huth is fondly remembered by German fans
for his role in the “summer fairy tale” of the 2006 World Cup, he was soon
discarded in favour of more mobile players like Mats Hummels and Jerome
Boateng, playing his last game for his country in an insignificant 7-2 friendly
against the United Arab Emirates in 2009.
A recent in-depth interview in 11
Freunde magazine noted that Huth, who has spent almost half of his life in the
UK, appeared to have become “estranged” from his homeland. Leicester’s rise has
undoubtedly brought Huth back to the forefront of the national memory, though
not quite into the national squad. After Boateng got injured earlier in the
year, 80% of users of Sport1 website called for the 31-year-old to be brought
back for the Euros. But coach Jögi Löw moved swiftly to quash speculation,
explaining that he prefers his teams to play further up the pitch than
Leicester.
Italy:
Love for gentleman Ranieri comes to the fore Thank you,
Leicester. This story has been the stuff of dreams for Italy, the country of
Claudio Ranieri. The English city has been the place where we were able to see
a new side to Ranieri: he has always been a gentleman, but he has never been so
happy and enthusiastic about his job.
Ranieri was way too bothered because the
world of football in Italy has always been hard to please. Everyone was touched
by seeing him so human at Leicester. At the last count, 500 participants were
ready to go. All this is for love of the fable called Leicester and for a great
coach like Claudio Ranieri. Thank you, Leicester.
Jamaica:
Morgan shirts still
not in demand – but that could yet change Wes Morgan may be born in Nottingham
but he has 25 caps for Jamaica after qualifying through his grandparents. The
reaction to Leicester’s success in Jamaica is what we assume it has been
anywhere in the world: bemused amusement. While the Premier League dominates
the local version for attention, any Leicester “wagonists” are waiting
carefully for the title; or perhaps the second title when it comes. For now
Leicester are everyone’s second team. Speaking to 35-year-old Richard Currie from
Kingston, who sells replica football shirts, his business is still to see an
increasing demand for a player who has already captained the Reggae Boyz thanks
to his defensive leadership for the Foxes. “Well, I haven’t seen an order to
date or anyone wearing one,” he says. “But then Morgan isn’t someone who grew
up in Jamaica so perhaps people can’t identify with him like local players; but
how he defends and his fighting spirit is what people here identify with him
and rate him for. Now he has won the title you’ll see them come out. We
Jamaicans are a proud people and we like to show it!”
Thailand: Vardy can be
seen all over Bangkok airport Leicester City football players are known in
Thailand as the “Siamese Foxes” and the club’s Thai owner has flown Buddhist
monks out to England to bless the stadium, where the Thai king’s portrait has
also been raised. While Foxes fervour has not completely immersed the
south-east Asian country in blue, you can’t make it through Bangkok airport
without seeing striker Jamie Vardy’s face. The club’s owner runs the duty-free
company King Power, which has placed video adverts in terminals showing Vardy
running around an airport shop in full kit while picking up tax-free gifts. It
also sells collectable gift cards with photos of Kasper Schmeichel and Riyad
Mahrez.
Ghana:
Schlupp and Amartey spark curiosity The Premier League’s fans in
Ghana are decidedly of the Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and the two Manchester
clubs variety; a smattering of Spurs fans and then … nothing. When a Ghanaian
signs for an English club, the team may get support based on the player’s
status – think Asamoah Gyan getting Sunderland a few, while Michael Essien
copped Chelsea a large following. If the player is not that huge, say Jordan
Ayew, then no can do. It is just pride that Daniel Amartey, Jeffrey Schlupp and
20-year old Joe Dodoo are from these parts, as former Ghana captain Stephen
Appiah told Citi FM: “I believe Schlupp is one of the key players for the team.
I’m saying that because he got injured, went out for some months and came back
with three games to the end of the season and the coach started him. So that
shows you how important he is to the team. For Amartey, I am so happy for him
because you join a team like Leicester a couple of months ago and you are going
to win a trophy.”
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