Barcelona midfield legend Xavi already endeared himself to fans of the English game when he payed tribute to the great Matt Le Tissier by sayig:
“The man I absolutely loved watching as a kid was Matt Le Tissier after seeing the highlights of his extraordinary goals.
“His talent was out of the norm. He could dribble past seven or eight players but without speed – he just walked past them. For me he was sensational.:
Well now the Qatar based midfielder dynamo has honed his appreciation on the lower echelons of the English game.
Since good friend and former opponent Ivan Karanka was appointed as Middlebrough manager, Xavi has become rather enarmoured with the Championship club, commmenting;
“I follow Middlesbrough because Aitor Karanka is there.”
Fair enough.
But its League One side Sheffield United that really gets him excited;
“I met a boy the other day. English. He was wearing a Barca shirt but I asked him who he supported. He said: ‘Sheffield United’. I know them, they have 20,000 fans in the third division. That’s incredible. You get that in England.
“I watched some of a game with Charlton the other day. There was football on television, yet the stadium was packed with supporters. Incredible.
“If that was in Catalonia, Olot vs. Reus, then there were would be a few people there and the families of the players.”
Just give it time and he’ll soon be a true convert of the old ‘kick and run’ philosophy.
(Via the Yorkshire Post)