I wanted to be just like Brazil icon Ronaldo... he could dribble, pass and SCORE
SAYS ODSONNE EDOUARD
WATCHING him rag-doll defenders and bang in goals before wheeling away to take the adulation of delirious Celtic supporters, the word ‘restrained’ is not the first one that springs to mind.
It’s certainly difficult to square the public image of Odsonne Edouard, a one-man wrecking ball of a striker, with the teenager too shy to ask his heroes for an autograph or photograph. With one rather glorious exception.
Yet perhaps the fans who stop the Frenchman with that kind of request, something he always does his best to accommodate, pick up on the quiet soul behind the public mask. The humility that has helped him reach this point.
He is certainly nothing if not private, having given precious little away — in terms of public pronouncements — since arriving in Glasgow just over two years ago.
Yesterday was different. Entertaining and informative. Particularly the point where, after half an hour of chat with the aid of a tres sympathique translator, Edouard was asked about the difficulties of living in Scotland when he apparently speaks so little English.
‘Oh, I speak English,’ he said with a cheeky grin. It was an injoke for the benefit of the hacks gathered in the rather basic surroundings of dressing room No 7 at Celtic’s training ground.
We know fine well that he speaks the language well enough. He’s just not confident, is a little worried about saying the wrong thing — finds it a convenient excuse to stay out of the public eye.
Still, for that little lunchtime slot yesterday, he was happy to talk about his career, his future... and his past.
After describing how much he enjoys the interaction with fans, particularly the ‘I wanna be Edouard’ song they sing in his honour and the regular meetings with punters, the 21-year-old was asked if he’d spent his formative years chasing the signatures of his own favourites.
‘Actually, I was really shy, so I wouldn’t even go and ask a player for an autograph or a photo,’ he said, smiling at the memory.
‘The only person I managed to get a picture with was Ronaldo, the great Brazilian striker (below). I managed to work up enough courage to go and ask him. I was 17, I was on tour in Miami with Paris Saint-Germain for pre-season. It was incredible.
‘I got my photo taken with him. He was my idol when I was a young player. I liked him because of the way he played. He could do everything. He could score, pass, dribble — anything and everything.
‘As a young player, I was also a No9 — so when you see a player who can do everything in your position, you just want to be the same as him.
‘I was playing in a tournament with PSG on a pre-season tour and, when we walked into our hotel, he came out of the lift.
‘I was speechless but I went over to see him to get my photograph taken with him — and afterwards I was the happiest boy in the whole world!’ In a sufficiently relaxed mood to joke about Ronaldo’s playing for both Barcelona and Real Madrid, Edouard responded to a pretty obvious gag about him following suit by signing for Rangers by laughing out loud and declaring: ‘No, never — it’s impossible!’ All good fun from a character who is clearly popular with his team-mates for reasons that go beyond his ability to lead the line, link play and then score the allimportant goals that bring points, trophies, European progress and win bonuses. Not that he’s the most social animal, judging by his explanation of how he spends his time away from football. ‘Nothing special,’ said the France Under-21 regular. ‘I really like it here, I really like the city. I feel I have adapted well. I enjoy being in Scotland, I like playing football here. ‘I’m somebody who is discreet, reserved. There is not much to say. No, it’s not at all difficult when I get asked for autographs or selfies. I am a simple guy, I am humble.
‘If a fan stops me in the street and wants an autograph or a photo, I’ll do it no problem. It’s not hard. On the contrary, it’s nice.
‘I don’t feel pressure. I just enjoy what I’m doing, so I don’t feel the pressure, don’t feel the need to escape any pressure.’
What he really loves is to hear those fans in raptures, their adaptation of the Stone Roses classic I Wanna Be Adored bringing a big smile to his face.
‘I am really pleased about it,’ he added. ‘It pushes me on to my best when I am on the pitch. I hope it is going to continue.’
Edouard is that rarity, a £9million signing — that might as well be a hundred million, in the Scottish game — who seems entirely at ease.
True, he had a season on loan to get used to the idea. A spell playing understudy to Moussa Dembele, before his compatriot’s big-money move to Olympique Lyonnais.
Dembele leaving put him in the spotlight, facing huge expectations to live up to impossible standards.
Yet Edouard insisted: ‘It doesn’t feel like it added pressure to me. It gave me more playing time — and that gave me more chances to show what I could do. That’s the natural way to look at it.
‘We are lucky this season to have three good strikers, all in form and no injury problems.
‘It’s much better for the team to have this situation, to have all the players at 100 per cent than maybe one at 70 per cent — that does not work.
‘I’m in good form — but not the best of my life. There is more to come. The important thing is to carry on from where I am at the moment and continue in the same vein.’ Edouard was presented with the Ladbrokes Premiership Player of the Month award for August yesterday, a fine individual reward for his efforts. He said: ‘I am pleased. It is always nice to be recognised. But it’s not just about me — it’s about my fellow players and the team. ‘Five wins in five games doesn’t come from me, it comes from the team performance.’ Very proper, very humble, very correct in sharing the praise around. A little flash of genuine reserve from a player whose on-field boldness tells only half the story.
I love to hear the fans singing about me, it pushes me on to be my best when I’m on the pitchPrized