In all walks of life you are bound to come across characters who are interesting – or a little bit crazy – and that is no different in football.
What is different however is those characters can end up becoming cult heroes given the amount of fans who sing their names each and every week and who adore them.
That is what is happening with West Ham United goalkeeper Adrian, who has seen his profile grow week in, week out with a string of impressive performances that has had managers and fans talking. The height of his fame was of course that FA Cup game, but he is one of the first names on the teamsheet for the Hammers – and despite his rather ill advised actions during the midweek fixtures, he is firmly in the good books when it comes to the fans.
He is a little bit quirky, he loves to share his views on the game and always has something to say about his own performance – and that of the officials going by his response to the red card handed to him on Wednesday night.
Adrian is, like all footballers these days, a lover of social media and predictably took to Twitter to post a video of his version of the red card against Southampton, that even featured a voice over by manager Sam Allardyce, focusing on the clear foul on the goalkeeper that went unnoticed by the officials.
He is proud to be a West Ham player and genuinely seems to enjoy living in London and interacting with the fans and the media – and is all the more loved for it. Adrian may not be as eccentric as someone like Mario Balotelli, but he delivers a hell of a lot more on the pitch and as with all keepers, certainly has his quirks – and we enjoy watching them.
Throwing his gloves away before taking the winning penalty to send the Hammers through in the FA Cup won him a plethora of fans and a host of media attention both in England and in his native Spain, where they love the FA Cup, and you could see being a hero suited him.
After the Southampton game, he was more sinner than saint, but is still one of the better goalkeepers in the league and will be missed during his suspension.
West Ham fans. Do you love Adrian? Did you think it was a red card? Let us know your thoughts below, become a guest blogger or tweet us @LaFootyettes.
10 years ago
Of course, Adrian was fouled! But you can have a little side-bet that the FA won’t rescind the card. Had it been De Gea, Courtois, Hart, I’m sure the foul would have been awarded against Mane, (I’m starting to sound like Mourinho now….), but as with Carroll’s red against Swansea last season, the authorities seem to have a different attitude to the teams outside the top four/five.
But I’d also back Jussi to have a blinder tomorrow against WBA……