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PRAISE BE ... Robinho takes the adulation from Manchester City supporters
THE most expensive player in the history of British football is feeling humble. After just one month, five games and two goals, Robinho is being worshipped as a god in Manchester. Wherever he goes, fans greet him with a reverence normally reserved for church. And even though Brazil counts football as its ‘other’ religion, the boy from Sao Vicente is not used to adulation.
At £32.5million though, City fans have already anointed Robinho the patron saint of (middle) Eastlands. And in an exclusive interview with SunSport, the 24-year-old revealed his passion to make himself worthy of the fans’ faith. He says, smiling: “Sure, people recognise me all the time in the city. They are very kind to me. “They tell me great things and this kind of motivation is very important for a football player. “I am already a god and I didn’t do a thing! But my desire is to pay it back, to show the supporters my gratitude with goals, great play and victories.”
The ex-Real Madrid man has already inspired his new side to eighth in the Premier League. And Robinho has set his sights much higher as he revels in the excitement of his new football world. He said: “The tempo in English football is different from anything I’ve experienced so far.
“The rhythm is high speed and the quality is excellent — better than I expected. It’s the best league in the world. “The difference between England and Spain is smaller than the one I experienced when I moved from Brazil to Spain. “The pitch is wet, just like in Spain, which makes the game faster.
“I think the big differences are the referees, who let the game flow without conceding many fouls, and the supporters. “They are much more involved in the game than in Spain — they shout a lot and push us more.”
Robinho is determined to embrace life on and off the pitch in his new home. His new team-mates make fun over his accent and attempts to speak English. He insisted: “We understand each other well. Football language is universal — you don’t need to speak the language in order to communicate with a ball.
“They understand me and they are having fun on the pitch, sometimes in training when I shout. “My English so far is rated two out of 10. I’m not having classes yet as I am still living in a hotel. “But when I move, I will have time for that. In six months’ time, it will be 10 out of 10.”
Robinho has already had top marks for his skill, though. A dream debut against the club that also tried to sign him — Chelsea — was capped with a goal in a 3-1 defeat.
Despite the notion all Brazilians are dead-ball specialists, Robinho admitted no one was more surprised than him when he netted a free-kick against the Blues. He confessed: “My favourite moment so far has to be the goal against Chelsea. “Even more because it came from a free-kick and I am horrible at free-kicks! I decided to take that one because I was full of confidence.
"My debuts are always great. The first time I played for Santos, I earned the foul that ended up in a winning goal. “Then, with Real Madrid, I played very well against Cadiz. “I knew something special was going to happen in my debut for City, too.
Robinho had reservations
“What makes me most happy is that I am finally playing in my real position and it never happened in Spain. "I am playing as a second striker, with total freedom to move and get involved in every play — not just restricted to the left wing.”
After four years in Madrid, Robinho admitted he had reservations about moving to the north of England. He laughed: “There is no beach and no sun. But I am enjoying Manchester so far. Elano took me for a city tour and I loved it.
“After what people had been telling me, I feared the worst. I thought I would arrive here and find nothing but wasteland. “But it’s not like that. There are fine restaurants and entertainment places, the city is beautiful. “I have no problem with the food. There is a great Brazilian restaurant in the city centre and I’ll become a regular customer.”
And what about the weather? After all, Blackpool’s Golden Mile is no match for the Copacabana. He added: “Yes, the weather is an issue. It rains a lot and it looks grey a lot of the time. But I’m getting used to it.” So there you have it. Football gods can control the ball — but still struggle with the weather.
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Edited by zocoss 04 Oct `08, 10:56PM
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