PRAISE BE ... Robinho takes the adulation from
Manchester City supporters
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.
“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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