Latest news with #FikayoTomori
Nylon
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Nylon
Interview with Christian Pulisic and Fikayo Tomori of AC Milan, who were recently in Singapore to kick off the team's Pre-Season Tour
There's no better time for a football fan to revel in the heart-pumping excitement and electric intensity of a world-class football match than at the Singapore Festival of Football, happening from 23 to 27 July 2025 at the National Stadium. Returning after a two-year hiatus, the event brings three of Europe's biggest teams namely Premier League clubs Arsenal FC and Newcastle United FC, as well as Italian giants AC Milan, together for two exhilarating matches — one of which had just concluded on 23 July, between Arsenal and AC Milan. Despite a 1-0 result with Arsenal taking home the Tridentity Cup, the friendlies gave AC Milan the opportunity to test their young players, and 20-year-old goalkeeper Lorenzo Torriani seized the opportunity to help the Italian club win a pre-arranged shootout after the match ended. The team ended up winning the penalty shootout with a 6-5 scoreline. Fikayo Tomori dressed in PUMA. Photographed by Adele Chan on the Leica M11, and taken on site at LeVeL 33. For 19-time domestic champions and seven-time European champions AC Milan, this is the first time the team made their visit to Singapore, and aside from working the field, the club also connected with fans in a lifestyle and fashion aspect during their meet-and-greet at PUMA's flagship outlet at 313 Somerset. Since the club's establishment in 1899, AC Milan has evolved to become more than just a football team; taking its collective creativity and culture beyond the field and turning it into a living, breathing symbol of the club's identity; a Clubhouse, if you will, where football meets fashion, design, music and art to create cultural conversation. Prior to catching them on the field, we got the opportunity to have a quick chat with AC Milan players Christian Pulisic and Fikayo Tomori. Here's how it went. Christian Pulisic dressed in the AC Milan and PUMA Away Kit for the 2025/26 season. Photographed by Adele Chan on the Leica M11, and taken on site at LeVeL 33. Christian Pulisic: I've only been here for a day but it's a beautiful city. The fans have been great — very passionate — as they were waiting for us at the hotel. So, it's been a good experience. Fikayo Tomori: This is actually my second time in Singapore. The last time I was here was in 2017, and I found it really clean, and the people were nice. It seems like a very chill city. I think we arrived at the hotel close to 12am, and everyone was waiting. The fans were nice and loud too. Even though everyone was tired from the flight, it kind of woke us up. Obviously we knew we had fans here but to be here and see them; it's really nice. Christian: It's similar (to the training during in season matches), but, of course, during the pre-season we're working a lot more on fitness with a lot of running involved, and making sure we're fit and that we are ready going into the season. Fikayo: A lot of running, and this is because a lot of the guys (on the team) have been out 4-5 weeks. We are so finally tuned during the season that even though a few weeks off does not mean that you have lost all your fitness, but you have to build it back up again. And, obviously now that we are getting ready for a season where you're playing at least a game a week — you have to be prepared. Now that we have a new coach, there's also a lot of new ideas, new tactical approaches, and there's building chemistry with the newer players too. Building that togetherness as a team is what this period focuses on. Christian: For me, it's more about just a routine. I always eat similar things, I always go for a nap at the same time, and just have the same routine over and over again. I'm not overly superstitious. Fikayo: It's probably so normal to me that I don't know I'm doing it (laughs), but I always put my right shin pad on first. That is something I notice I do but I don't know why. Christian: I'm hoping for a good first match for the team. We expect, obviously, a very good opponent — Arsenal, you know, is one of the best teams in the world — so, a good match and hopefully good results for us. I hope the fans enjoy a very entertaining match too, seeing some of the world's top players in Europe. Fikayo: I'm expecting the stadium to be loud and a good game with two good teams. You never go into a pitch wanting to lose, because you always want to win; and even though it's pre-season, there's still going to be that competitive edge to it. Christian: Oof, that's a good question. I think for me it's all about the discipline. Just going and making sure you put in the work and making sure that you are disciplined every single day if you want to improve — because that's what it takes. I just take that into life and follow the right steps, and work hard every single day at the little things. Fikayo: I came here with Chelsea when I was playing for them and the older players were telling me about how the career's going to go so fast, so make sure you make the most out of it. So, I'm now at that age where I'm telling the young guys; don't waste a day. Everything goes by really quickly. Although it is just the beginning of the season, and the end of the season seems so far away, it goes really quickly and suddenly you've ticked off another season. So, I think just don't let it pass you by and get everything you can out of yourself. Christian: Any football team? Oh man… I don't know… that's tough to say since we are already playing against some top teams. Maybe we could play against an American team. Like Miami or Nashville since it's where I'm from and I know some people, so it would be nice. Fikayo: Normally I would have said Arsenal because my hero growing up was Thierry Henry, but now we're playing Arsenal. So, I would say let's play a Singapore team. I know we're training at the Lion City Sailors training centre so why not them? It's nice for the fans to see us so I think any game that we play would be a nice one, but I think if we played a local team from Singapore, it would be a lot different. Fikayo Tomori dressed in PUMA. Photographed by Adele Chan on the Leica M11, and taken on site at LeVeL 33. Providing the perfect backdrop for our time with Christian and Fikayo is the renowned LeVeL 33 — the world's highest microbrewery in a building, offering a dining experience unlike any other. Here, you can enjoy a ContemBrewery cuisine served exclusively with sustainable seafood, ethically pasture-raised beef, and locally sourced organic produce such as vibrant greens, edible flowers, and baby herbs, alongside beers made with 100% organic hops and malt like their Brut Beer — inspired by their relationship with Barons de Rothschild and crafted using the same yeast as Champagne to produce super fine bubbles and a dry finish.
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
ALLEGRI: "PRE-SEASON IS IMPORTANT FOR TEAM BUILDING"
Pre-season 2025 is in full swing after touching down in Singapore. Today, Massimiliano Allegri and Fikayo Tomori spoke in a press conference, during which they discussed the new season and our friendly against Arsenal. MASSIMILIANO ALLEGRI HIS SECOND SPELL AT AC MILAN "It's a different situation than it was 15 years ago. It's not only football that has changed, but the world in general. The positive aspect of not playing in the Champions League is that we'll have more time to work and build a team. The negative is that we're not playing on the big stage. But I'm a glass-half-full kind of guy, so we have time and the chance to work on qualifying. I'm confident in my players, because I think this is a talented group with a good mindset. PRE-SEASON "Preparation is important in terms of getting to know each other and working on the pitch. For now, we're a group, but we need to become a proper team as quickly as possible." OBJECTIVES "Our main aim is to get back into the Champions League. It won't be easy, because there's a lot of competition in Italy and a lot of good sides. I've come back full of enthusiasm and desire, but we have to focus on our aims, because the only way we can have a good season is by achieving them. Given the size of the brand, AC Milan needs European football, and that is our aim at the start of the season." SINGAPORE "This is my second time in Singapore, an amazing city. AC Milan have a lot of fans here, and we're so pleased with the welcome we've received. We have an important game against Arsenal coming up. We know that these games are all about improving our fitness, technique and tactical knowledge. We need to get used to the heat; there's nothing we can do about it." MODRIĆ "We expect him to join us in August. He's a top player who will add technical brilliance and leadership to the squad." TRANSFERS "The Club is working hard to make the squad competitive; I am fully with them." FIKAYO TOMORI ARSENAL "We know they're a good side. We want to play well against every team we face and prepare for the season to come. We're working hard to be ready. We're up for this game." NEXT SEASON "Last season didn't go the way we wanted. Of course, we should've done better, but we now need to look ahead to next season and give it our all. It's a tough pre-season, but we're approaching it the right way, learning new things and a new system of playing. We're working on how to defend, how to move the ball, and when to press high. This will be a good test for us to put what we've learned into practice." AIMS "We want to start the season better and qualify for the Champions League, which is where AC Milan should be. We'll try to win every game and lift a trophy. I think that every season is important. It's a different feeling in a World Cup year, but I'm focused on AC Milan and doing well next season. We need to keep improving as a team and as individuals."The PUMA 2025/26 Home Kit and Away Kit are now available: buy them now!
Times
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
How Britain's fluent footballers are finally beating language barriers
There he was at Wimbledon, the blazer, sunglasses, tan and swept-back hair — looking every last centimetro an Italian movie star. Except it was good old Scott McTominay. ' Come stai?' ('how are you?') he asked a talkSPORT interviewer. ' Tutto bene?' ('is everything OK?') McTominay's metamorphosis at Napoli is one of the stories of our age and from a British perspective his embrace of local language and culture is as delightful as his success on the pitch. Because, if we're honest, ability to adapt abroad does not come easily to Brits. One of our greatest footballers, after all, was Ian Rush, who, when asked to explain why he couldn't score at Juventus, replied that being in Italy was like being in a foreign country. But McTominay is new school. Since transferring from Manchester United last summer he has taken biweekly Italian lessons with a university tutor, while using several language apps to improve his fluency. His team-mate and Scottish compatriot Billy Gilmour is the same. McTominay now records video messages to fans in Italian and can navigate Italian TV interviews. He's determined to keep getting better. Even more assimilated is Fikayo Tomori, the England centre back who joined AC Milan in 2021 and used lockdown to learn Italian to a high level, speaking it with a native accent. Football's polyglots... and some useful phrases Players who speak a variety of languages Romelu Lukaku Napoli and Belgium striker: English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Flemish, Italian, Lingala Henrikh Mkhitaryan Inter Milan and former Armenia winger: English, Armenian, French, Portuguese, Russian, Ukrainian, German, Italian Nadia Nadim AC Milan and Denmark women's forward: English, Danish, German, Persian, Dari, Urdi, Hindi, Arabic, French Amadou Onana Aston Villa and Belguim midfielder: French, German, English, Dutch, Wolof — and is learning Spanish Managers and coaches Mike Arteta Arsenal: Spanish, Basque, Catalan, English, Portuguese, French, Italian (and he claims an eighth: 'Scottish') José Mourinho Fenerbahce: Portuguese, English, Spanish, Catalan, Italian, French Nuno Espirito Santo Nottingham Forest: Portuguese, Spanish, English, Italian, Russian Roy Hodgson English, Swedish, French, Italian, German —and even taught French as a sideline when in South Africa as a player Arsène Wenger French, German, English, Spanish, Italian, Japanese Foreign language cheat sheet (from the Futbol Lingo app) 'Switch of play' Changez le jeu (French), Spiel Verlagen (German), Cambia de orientacion (Spanish), Skipt um Kannt (Icelandic), Zhuanji jingong (Mandarin) 'Penalty spot' Punkt pola karnego (Polish), Penalti noktasi (Turkish), Strafschopstip (Dutch), Nuqtat darbat aljaza (Arabic) 'Referee' Arbitro (Italian, Portuguese, Spanish), L'arbitre (French), Scheidsrichter (German), Domari (Icelandic) …and some interesting idioms (from 'Do You Speak Football' by Tom Williams) 'The Top Corner' in different countries: Spain Donde anidan las aranas (literal translation: 'Where the spiders nest') Egypt Fil maqass ('In the scissors') Brazil Onde dorme a coruja ('Where the owl sleeps') Algeria Wayn yeskon shaytan ('Where Satan lives') 'A nutmeg' in different countries: France Petit pont ('Little bridge') South Korea Alggagi ('Hatching an egg') Jamaica Salad Tammy Abraham learnt enough to conduct interviews in Italian while playing for Roma and two hours of language lessons a day during five years at Borussia Dortmund left Jamie Gittens, Chelsea's new signing, fluent in German. Harry Kane jokes about his continued struggles with German but in March a clip emerged of him taking lessons with a tutor at Bayern Munich that suggested he is better with the language than he lets on. Jude Bellingham learnt some German at Dortmund and threw himself into mastering Spanish after joining Real Madrid, using apps and taking lessons at home. Trent Alexander-Arnold noted his close friend's example and wowed with a long address in fluent Spanish at his Real unveiling. Sensitive to accusations that considerable time was spent plotting his transfer from Liverpool, Alexander-Arnold's camp declined to clarify how long he had been learning the lingo when contacted for this article — but an experienced Spanish-language teacher of footballers said, 'I found it incredibly impressive. That didn't strike me as just a few months' study.' Yet before lapsing into parochial self-congratulation it should be acknowledged that British players are merely beginning to do what those of other nationalities have done for years. Kylian Mbappé spoke Spanish to a higher level at his Real unveiling and started learning Spanish as a 15-year-old because, even at that age, he was planning to play in La Liga one day. McTominay's Napoli team-mate Romelu Lukaku speaks nine languages and at United he played with Henrikh Mkhitaryan (eight languages), Bruno Fernandes (five languages) and Zlatan Ibrahimovic (five languages). He was managed by José Mourinho, speaker of six languages, whose route into coaching began with a stint as Sir Bobby Robson's translator at Barcelona. Sixteen of the Premier League's 20 managers speak at least two languages (including Mikel Arteta, who has seven) but the only bilingual Brit among them is Graham Potter, who has Swedish. However, at the same time as a rise in polyglotism in the game so there is an acceleration towards English becoming football's lingua franca. Take refereeing. A number of Premier League refs speak more than one language, including a certain younger official, who would rather remain nameless, who speaks five. And yet increasingly Fifa and Uefa are pushing referees across the world to learn English. The men's and women's national teams of Belgium — a linguistically divided country — have used English in their dressing rooms since Roberto Martínez introduced the principle nine years ago. Long before he joined Liverpool Arne Slot was coaching and doing team talks in English. He demanded English be used at all times at Feyenoord, even getting dinner ladies to speak to players in English. His reasoning was that a common tongue builds unity and it would be more useful, in their future lives, if Feyenoord's many South American and African signings learnt English rather than Dutch. British players learning languages and English as football's lingua franca appear, at first glance, to be opposing developments, but both have the same root cause. It's that communication has never been considered more important in football. In a marginal-gains world where every advantage is important, the leading coaches see social bonds and successful communicating as super-important to the success of teams. Thomas Tuchel has spoken of little else since becoming England head coach. In Premier League academies, players access GCSE and A-level language qualifications through clubs' education programmes. The Professional Footballers' Association offers language courses to players across the men's and women's game, encouraging members to use them and the PFA considers it critical to have a multilingual leader. Its chief executive, Maheta Molango, speaks six languages and this is seen as vital to helping connect with the union's modern membership. Southampton's Will Still, raised in Belgium by British parents, is an example of a young English manager able to switch tongues to project his message. Footage of Still motivating his former Reims squad in French while switching to industrial English for emphasis is fascinating — and amusing — viewing: ' Ces trois points dimanche … F***ING THREE POINTS ON SUNDAY!' And so on. Roy Hodgson, the father of multilingual English managers, coached in five languages, including French — which he even taught part-time in a school while playing in South Africa. The League Managers Association includes a 'learning a foreign language' module in its diploma in football management and provides a language consultant, Robert Hunt, a former United Nations translator, to help members broaden their language skills. An early linguistic specialist in English football was George Scanlan, a remarkable character who played at junior level for Everton and had a successful coaching career with Marine, but was also head of languages at Liverpool Polytechnic, having studied French, Russian, Persian and Arabic at Christ's College, Cambridge. He was attaché/interpreter for the Soviet Union at the 1966 World Cup and fulfilled a similar role for numerous British and foreign teams, sitting on the Aston Villa bench when they played Dinamo Kiev en route to winning the 1981-82 European Cup. Scanlan became a trusted figure for Sir Alex Ferguson, not only interpreting for Andrei Kanchelskis at United but also co-writing Kanchelskis's autobiography and even helping to broker his transfer to Everton. Phil Dickinson, who studied under Scanlan, has been a key provider of language services to top English clubs for 25 years and his early gigs included interpreting for Eric Cantona. Dickinson was on duty the day Cantona signed for United and it befell him to go through the contract with the Frenchman and ask all the insurance questions. 'There was a certain one,' Dickinson remembers. 'Er, Eric, have you got Aids or ever had Aids? Non, non. OK, that's good.' Dickinson could fill several books with his experiences. One was working for Wigan Athletic during their era of high-profile South and Central American signings. He sat on their bench and in their dressing room to translate Paul Jewell's instructions to the Ecuador international Antonio Valencia. 'The other players would snigger because quite often Jewelly would turn round and tell me off,' Dickinson recalls. 'Like when Antonio didn't take the player on, or just played back inside: 'Fookin 'ell, Phil!' 'Once we had a home game against Watford and Paul brought out a video tactics board pre-programmed to replicate Watford's movements at corners. All these yellowy-orange discs representing the Watford players suddenly flew in all directions and [Jewell] was, 'Lads, it's like the f***ing Red Arrows!' 'There's always that totally untranslatable phrase that is wrapped in culture. Afterwards I said to Antonio, 'Well, the Red Arrows are our kind of acrobatic air force.' But I'm not sure that did the trick.' There was the interpreter who accompanied a Spanish-speaking player's wife to a pregnancy scan and, separated by a curtain for privacy, found themselves saying, 'There's the leg, here's the head.' Another had to talk a South American player's partner through breast-enlargement surgery. These are tales from the era before clubs invested properly in player care, when often the language tutor/interpreter was a foreign signing's only point of contact. Now most Premier League clubs have whole player-care departments. Hugo Scheckter, the former head of player care at West Ham United, Brentford and Southampton, founded The Player Care Group, the largest consultancy and education provider for sporting clubs across the world in player care. Research commissioned by his company showed that 80 per cent of all failed Premier League transfers from 2021-24 arrived from leagues where English is not the native language and Scheckter says, 'When going into clubs, we get them to buy into language learning from the top down. 'When I started in football it was from the bottom up. I'd try to persuade a player to do their English lessons but they wouldn't want to and there were no repercussions. Whereas now, either putting it in the contract or having the manager or director of football behind you, makes it a priority. 'On the pitch, in a high-pressure situation, if a player's English isn't good enough and a team-mate is shouting 'man on' or a manager is shouting an instruction and they can't get it immediately, it slows things down and in the modern game there isn't time for that.' David Moyes used Arteta as go-between when conversing with Marouane Fellaini at Everton and last season Jack Harrison (a Spanish speaker, having had a Costa Rican partner) proved invaluable in helping the Argentine player Charly Alcaraz communicate. Even after three seasons at Liverpool, Darwin Núñez leans on Alexis Mac Allister for language help but some players are linguistic sponges. The formidably bright Amadou Onana, at 23, is already fluent in French, German, English, Dutch and Wolof and has his heart set on learning Spanish — so asks the Villa head coach, Unai Emery, to use the language when speaking to him. Football language is different. At present Hunt is teaching a Spanish coach English. 'You have to be aware of the nuances,' he says. 'When we talk about a player playing deep in England we mean they drop towards their own goalkeeper and in Spanish the exact translation of 'deep' would be ' profundo '. But when you talk in Spanish football about ' profundidad ' you mean playing high up the pitch.' Offering a solution is Futbol Lingo, a brilliant app designed by two Uefa-licensed coaches based in England. One, Pierce Kiembi, speaks six languages and without widespread marketing his app has grown through word-of-mouth to almost 10,000 subscribers. Used by clubs in Spain, Belgium, Colombia and France it provides 1,600-plus football-specific words and phrases (with recordings of how to pronounce them) in 15 languages, including Arabic, Mandarin and Brazilian Portuguese. Users of the Futbol Lingo app can learn useful football phrases in a variety of languages… The vocabulary is provided by native-speaking players and coaches, rather than AI. 'Futbol Lingo won't teach you the whole language but it'll teach you phrases you need on the pitch, in the dressing room, in the boardroom,' Kiembi says. Maybe Carlos Tevez could have done with the app. During seven years in England he avoided learning more than a couple of English words, later claiming this was out of Argentine patriotism: 'I had a cultural problem with the English. I didn't want to learn English. I wanted them to learn Spanish,' Tevez said. One tutor sent to him found Tevez in no mood for a language lesson but rather craving a game of golf. He wondered, as they jumped in Tevez's car, how on earth the Argentinian would ask directions to a course. Tevez just typed 'GOLF' into his satnav and sped off with a grin. It took them to a run-down municipal course an hour away, rather than one more salubrious and local, but Tevez wasn't the type to care.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Chukwueze drops transfer hint amid Milan exit rumours
There are reports that Milan will try to offload Samuel Chukwueze this summer, but the Nigerian winger hints on social media that he wants to stay at San Siro. Nigerian winger Chukwueze appears unwilling to leave Milan this summer. Chukwueze hints that he doesn't want Milan exit Samuel Chukwueze of AC Milan celebrates scoring his team's third goal with teammates during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Parma at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on January 26, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by) The 26-year-old has shared an Instagram post in which he is seen wearing a classic Rossoneri shirt. The ex-Villarreal winger also added a caption with red and black heart emojis. Advertisement His Milan teammates, Rafael Leao and Fikayo Tomori, liked the Instagram post. Saelemaekers set to stay at Milan ROME, ITALY – DECEMBER 07: Alexis Saelemaekers of AS Roma celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Serie A match between AS Roma and Lecce at Stadio Olimpico on December 07, 2024 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by) It remains to be seen whether Milan will match his desire, as recent reports have suggested that Massimiliano Allegri wants to retain Alexis Saelemaekers and use the Belgian winger returning from a loan spell at Roma as a backup to Christian Pulisic instead of Chukwueze. The Nigeria international moved to Milan in a €21m deal from Villarreal in the summer of 2023. The 26-year-old has scored eight goals and provided six assists in 69 appearances across all competitions with the Rossoneri.
Daily Mail
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
From Joey Barton's French accent to Steve McClaren's dismal Dutch effort: When English football expats get foreign languages WRONG after Trent Alexander-Arnold dazzled with his perfect Spanish at Real Madrid unveiling
British players have a track record of struggling outside of the United Kingdom. Watching an export of ours speaking in an exotic tongue can seem like a new episode of An Idiot Abroad. Ian Rush was said to have quipped that 'he couldn't settle in Italy - it was like living in a foreign country.' It was an astute observation. A generation of players with a reputation for appalling language skills has been the norm. That is why when Trent Alexander-Arnold stunned Real Madrid by introducing himself in flawless Spanish, it was like watching Arthur pull out Excalibur from the stone. Few had thought it possible. This wasn't just a PR gig, it was months of practice in another tongue. It's a sign of a player that cares about his new club, home, and culture, and a sign of respect to the fans that will worship him. It's also a symbol of a new type of English footballer, one that isn't afraid to step out of the cultural comfort zone and move on to new things. Alexander-Arnold is not alone. Fikayo Tomori dedicated himself to learning fluent Italian and regularly delivers post-match broadcast interviews in the language at AC Milan. Jude Bellingham has seemingly had a good start to his Spanish lessons, with a certain affinity to the word 'vamos'. Unfortunately, we are not free from the memory of their forerunners who butchered the languages of their hosts. Here are the most memorable. Joey Barton at Marseille (2012) - The Mocking French Accent Joey Barton invoked his best impression of Officer Crabtree from the BBC Sitcom 'Allo 'Allo! while on loan at Marseille. After his Ligue 1 debut against Lille, he ditched the scouse, for a self-proclaimed 'Bartonese', a new dialect of English, in which the speaker adopts a hyper-stereotypical French persona. He said 'Maybe the one criticism of the French Ligue is it's a leetle bit boring'. He then tweeted, 'Steve McClaren… eat your heart out'. Gareth Bale at Real Madrid (2013 - 2021) - 'I don't have a clue what you've said' 'Golf. Wales. Madrid.' Famously in that order. What wasn't written, but was definitely included as a subheading of that Madrid part, was 'Spanish'. Bale did not want to learn Spanish. It's lucky he was a supremely talented footballer playing for an incredibly gifted team. The tactics were easy. Give the ball to Cristiano or Benzema, or have a pop yourself. Simple. A hilarious video was released in which Bale took part in a chat with Spanish publication Marca, during which a small group of Madrid players exchanged information about themselves in order for fans to get to know them a little better. Standing together in the Real Madrid team plane, Bale joined Luka Modric, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo and Casemiro for a chat. He was asked gently by former teammate Modric, 'what are the three things you carry in your luggage?' Bale looked perplexed. 'I don't have a clue what you've just said,' replied the Welshman with a deadpan expression. Joe Hart at Torino (2016) - Tried his best In his Torino introduction, Joe Hart read fluent Italian directly from a script for his, before asking everyone to only ask him questions in English. He let out an enormous sigh of relief once he'd finished reading out his, *checks watch*, 39 seconds of Italian. There wasn't much more Italian after that. But Hart did insist that he was going to put in every effort to become more adept in the Romance language. 'I'm doing [language] lessons at every opportunity. I think it was most important for me to learn how speak and communicate with the players on the football field before I could have a conversation in a coffee shop,' he said. 'Now I'll be looking to take major strides forward top really improve my Italian in order to interact on a daily basis.' Steve McClaren at FC Twente (2008) - SCHTEEVE When 22 Jump Street was released in 2014, one of the opening scenes had the world in stitches. When Channing Tatum's character 'Jenko' is pressed for his identity by members of the cartel, he panics and responds with a laughably cringeworthy Spanish-infused response of 'my name is Jeff'. Comedic genius. Steve McClaren was ahead of the curve. When interviewed by Dutch media, he put on a super-thick Dutch accent, announcing himself as 'Schteeve' and maintaining it throughout his two year spell as manager. And maybe it wasn't the worst idea. Something rubbed off on the players, as they won the Eredivisie title in 2009-10. Jadon Sancho at Dortmund (2021) - Germglish Hybrid Jadon Sancho was electric at Dortmund. Simply one of the best English youngsters there had ever been. After scoring two goals, one of which was a screamer, in the final of the DFB-Pokal, Sancho delivered his post-match interview with a curious accent. He spoke like Karl, the German exchange student trying to make friends in freshers' week, rather than Jadon, the 20-year-old winger who grew up in South London his whole life. It didn't look forced, either. That's just the sign of a man who immersed himself into Westphalian culture, even at the expense of his own. Jadon Sancho was a storming success at Borussia Dortmund but never quick cracked the lingo David Moyes combined English and Spanish in one of his early interviews at Real Sociedad - but quickly regretted it David Moyes at Real Sociedad (2014) - Oh no, David While managing Real Sociedad, David Moyes attempted Spanish during an interview but faltered when he forgot the word for 'times'. 'I know about the B-team,' he began. 'I know about some of the players. They have been training with me, dos, tres, quatro... times, and, er, but I've not seen them play.' His visible regret mid-sentence was noted as a relatable but awkward moment. Unlike Barton, at least Moyes was trying to speak the actual language rather than a bizarre form of accented English. It didn't his case. He only lasted 42 games with the Spanish side before returning to English football with Sunderland.
