I’m the best agent for myself

“In that way, I feel connected with my old schoolmates.” “It is what I love the most because it brings the best out of me.”

Patson Daka exploded onto the international scene with a brilliant performance that piloted the Zambian U20 youth team to gold in the African Youth Championship hosted by his country. His standout performance attracted the attention of overseas countries and he retraced the footsteps of Liverpool and Senegalese striker Sadio Mane by also joining Salzburg in Austria. It had not been smooth sailing for Daka, who was used sparingly by his coach. But the departure of Erling Halaand to the Bundesligaa opened up possibilities for the young Zambian. He grabbed the opportunity with both hands and has become Salzburg’s go-to man with 21 goals before the Coronavirus halted all sporting activities. With the Austrian league having resumed action on June 2, Daka couldn’t be happier. In this interview with Soccer Laduma’s Thomas Kwenaite, he reveals his unorthodox goal celebrations, why his mother urged him to extend his contact with Red Bull Salzburg when some of Europe’s big names came calling. He also recalls a memorable encounter with Liverpool’s Virgil Van Dijk.

Thomas Kwenaite: Hey, Patson, how are you, man, and how is life in Vienna?

Patson Daka:

I am very fine. We have started light training six weeks ago in anticipation of the resumption of football here in the Austrian Bundesliga. We have started training in four small-sided groups of six players each. In the third week of May, we reverted to normal training and, as I’m speaking to you, football is set to resume on June 2.

TK: We’ve just heard the news that Janny Sikazwe, a top referee from Zambia and certainly one of the best referees in the world, has tested positive for the Coronavirus.

PD:

It is rather unfortunate what happened to Mr Sikazwe. In the present climate, it can happen to anyone as this virus is attacking every human being across the world. We just have to support him and encourage him. He must know that everyone is a potential victim. And to those that have not yet been infected, it shouldn’t mean we are immune, special or are privileged. It is not like that and so we must encourage him to stay strong and continue to believe that he will get well as long as he follows the guidelines laid down by health authorities.

TK: You say at Red Bull Salzburg you are broken into small groups of six players. How then do you co-ordinate your training?

PD:

In the beginning, it was quite strange and a bit difficult. But obviously it is aimed at adhering to social distancing. Even then we pass the ball around and the distance between us has to be maintained at all costs. That is why it was a bit strange at training because football is a contact sport.

TK: How then do you overcome this scenario and still put in an effective workout?

PD:

We are not allowed to touch or tackle each other. But being out on the field is much better than been cooped up alone indoors. At home, it was turning to be boring. But at least, although we were not touching or tackling on the training field, it was good to be out there because at least you got to reunite with old friends and you didn’t feel out of place.

TK: Now that the Bundesliga has resumed, are the fixtures going to be altered?

PD:

I think the fixtures are going to be slightly altered. In fact, we have qualified for the OFB Cup final against Austria Lustenau and league fixtures would follow after strict instructions issued by Minister of Health Rudolf Anschober and Minister of Sport Werner Kogler. I believe we would play behind closed doors, without spectators!

TK: Coming out of Africa slap bang into Europe, what were the cultural shocks you encountered?

PD:

In the beginning, it was very tough. It has never been easy moving away from home at a young age, alone, and within days I already felt homesick! It was a different place, different people, different weather in winter where it was snowing daily. It was tough for me and it was difficult to adapt to the weather conditions. But I think the people of Austria generally made it easier for me to adapt because they welcomed me warmly. They embraced me as part of their own families and I didn’t feel out of place.

TK: How far do you live from compatriot Eric Mwepu?

PD:

He lives less than 100m down the road from where I stay. We go to training together and after hours we spend quality time together. We are, after all, Zambians in a foreign country and we strive to help each other, build each other up and chat about football and life in general. We encourage each other and discuss how we can improve and develop and make sure we do not get homesick. We basically support each other and we are there for each other. It has helped that he is with me in Austria.

TK: Being so far away from home, do you sometimes miss munkoyo (a popular drink in rural Zambia mildly fermented from pounded roots and mixed with maize) and nshima (pap in South Africa)?

PD:

I miss Zambian traditional food immensely. I miss Zambia and everything Zambian. But I am also mindful of the reason why I’m here in Austria and have to sometimes sacrifice and keep on working hard.

TK: Sadio Mane and Naby Keita started their careers at Salzburg. Do you feel pressure to emulate them?

PD:

For me, pressure is what I enjoy. It is what I love the most because it brings the best out of me. And, throughout my career, I have always embraced pressure. I look at what Sadio Mane and Keita have achieved and I think it’s great. What they have done is unbelievable. It is also motivation on its own. At the same time, I’m not the kind of person who tries to be a carbon copy of someone (else). I have to compete with myself and be the best I can be. I try to reach my goals and help my team by scoring goals. I don’t see it as pressure. I see it as a privilege and that’s always my target regardless who we are playing or in what competitions. When I do my best to help my team, other things will fall into place.

TK: The Daily Mail urged Manchester United to sign you and another report described you as “the next Ibrahimović!”

PD:

Such reports don’t distract me at all. One thing I know is that I’m a footballer and not an agent. My agent is the one that must concern himself with those things and I focus on the game. I currently have a running contract with Salzburg and I am happy. I am also mindful of the fact that I am the best agent for myself. What I do and how I perform on the field is what will determine my future. If I am not working on the pitch, it would be difficult for my agent to approach clubs trying to sell me. But if I perform well, the clubs will approach him trying to buy me. It’s as simple as that.

TK: Tell us about your backflip somersaults when you celebrate scoring a goal.

PD:

I like to do things my way. The backflip is something I have been doing since childhood. As a kid at school while playing with my friends, we would engage in the backflip every time we scored. Now that I’ve grown older, I still engage in it and, in that way, I feel connected with my old schoolmates. It so happened that one of Zambia’s legends, Chris Katongo, is also fond of executing it after scoring, and backflipping together is simply awesome.

TK: You also have another form of celebrating by covering your face with one hand.

PD:

I’ve explained that I like to do things differently, in my own way. Things that make me happy. And, with the face-covering celebration, truth is, it has religious meaning. Ephesians 6:11 reads: “Put on the armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes!” I like that verse and so asked myself how I could make it a part of my celebrations, to show people that I’m putting the full armor of God when I go out onto the field and in my life.

TK: You scored a hattrick against Mattersburg, shortly before the global lockdown.

PD:

It was my first ever professional hattrick. It was something I have always been dreaming about. Even when I was playing in the Zambian Premier League, I would score a brace, but it was difficult to snatch a hattrick. Ironically, it was one of the toughest games we have ever played. There had been some games in which I felt it was too damn easy and I would score a hattrick or even more, but