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 pedestrians have
congregated in front of news stands after weekends for
updates as the Foxes inched closer and closer to this
most improbable feat.
Argentina:Can Ulloa emerge from the shadows of Messi and
Dybala?
The exploits of Diego Simeone driving Atlético Madrid
to the latter stages of the Champions League or the
role of Paulo Dybala in Juventus’ fifth consecutive
Scudetto are much more interesting to Argentinian
media and the football fanatics in this country than
Leonardo Ulloa’s story as one of the heroes of
Leicester.
Maybe that is because he was never considered a star
player in the few years he played in the Argentinian
first division (31 matches for San Lorenzo, 12 for
Arsenal de Sarandí and 14 for Olimpo de Bahía Blanca
with a total of nine goals in 57 matches). 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.”