A Liverpool star has opened up on the moment his football dream came crashing down.
The player has had a sensational, headline-grabbing start to the season and is increasingly a hit with fans.
But it turns out that if football doesn’t work out, he can always turn to one of his creative talents away from the pitch.
Hugo Ekitike says he was just 14 years old when coaches at Reims in France told him he was set to be released amid a ‘really bad’ season.
But that conversation and tough love spurred him on to focus more on achieving his dream and the rest is history. After firing in 22 goals for Eintracht Frankfurt last season he joined Liverpool for £79million in the summer and has since scored five goals in nine games. The only drawback? His red card against Southampton.
‘When I was 14, I was playing in the Reims academy and I was bad. I was really bad,’ Ekitike told BBC Sport.
Hugo Ekitike says coaches at Reims threatened to release him aged 14 – and that changed him
The star, who names Mohamed Salah as a support in settling in, knuckled down after that
‘I was the kind who dreamed a lot on the pitch. I had quality but I was dreaming too much – a sleeping player.
‘I had an appointment with my parent. They told me if that were at the end of the season, that would be the end.
‘I knew then it would never happen [I wouldn’t let myself be released. In my mind, I wanted to be the best. When I came back, I was really good. It focused me and there was a turning point. I had other turning points later but that was the first one in my life.’
Ekitike’s stock is only rising thanks to his fine form at Liverpool, though he could be set for a long-term battle with Alexander Isak for the starting spot up front.
Not every player has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water – Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong have had their struggles – but Frenchman Ekitike is grateful for the support of Mohamed Salah in settling in.
‘Mo is a really cool guy, he is really open with me and is really good to talk too. He is great to play with. I was watching him on TV when he was scoring the goals and stuff but he is a really great athlete,’ says Ekitike.
‘You can just improve yourself and learn from him. It is good to share the pitch with him and I hope we are going to score lots of goals and bring some wins to the team together.
‘He is very cool. More cool than what I have seen on TV because sometimes you see straight face and stuff so I thought he was cold… someone who doesn’t talk a lot. He is really open, like all of the guys here. They are really open and want me to adapt to the team.’
He is a keen artist and has made a great start in Liverpool barring his red card against Southampton
If he gets a couple of days off, the 23-year-old will whizz back to Paris to be with his family.
On singular days off, he says there isn’t much to do, but he enjoys playing on his PlayStation, watching films, or going in a swimming pool or jacuzzi.
Any secret talents?
It turns out Liverpool have quite the creative on their hands. ‘Ah yes, I have one. I can draw. People, everything, life. Sometimes I like to draw. It’s always been easy for me.’
