Zanka’s World view ahead of internationals

generosity when buying everyone who attended the Southampton away game last season a drink back at the John Smith’s Stadium.

And they were delighted to see him rewarded for all his efforts, firstly by Town’s survival in the Premier League and, secondly, by becoming the first club player to score at the World Cup finals, notching for Denmark against Croatia in Russia last summer.

The man known as ‘Zanka’ recognises Premier League footballers are always in the spotlight, both internationally and in their own community, but he will never lose sight of trying to be a good character and a good person. In an interview with Town’s matchday magazine The Terrier, he told editor Adam Tomlinson that he had thought about the background to football holding its biggest event in Russia, where the state and its standing internationally are always world news.

“It was certainly a big theme in the lead-up to the World Cup for journalists so, yes, I thought about it,” said Zanka, who had two spells at Copenhagen in addition to playing for PSV Eindhoven and Jong PSV in Holland.

“I don’t think you can use a World Cup for any political statement.

“I went there trying to show the values of the country that I represent.

“For me, they are freedom of speech and the freedom to choose whoever you want to be.

“That’s what we went there to do, not to pass comment on how Russia chooses to do things.

“As a football player, particularly in the Premier League, you need to know that everything you do will be scrutinised. “The whole world watches a World Cup and people want to sell newspapers.” And that can bring with it negative aspects, as he added: “I’ve seen what has happened with Germany and Mesut Ozil, where his picture seems to have become the reason that they didn’t perform as they wanted. “With Sweden losing to Germany in the group and it looking like they were out, Jimmy Durmaz came on and made the stupid foul that allowed Toni Kroos to score the winner. “All the hate and racism he received was a big, big thing in Scandinavia. “To see that from a developed, tolerant country like Sweden shows that sometimes, in football, we are still years behind what could be considered normal behaviour. “That’s a reminder to everyone to always be a decent human being, through all the emotion involved in football.”

It’s a reminder to everyone to always be a decent human being