Eljero Elia: "Not a clue who the right-back of
Japan is"
Friday, 18 June 2010
Before the game against Denmark
Eljero Elia made negative headlines by some insulting
remarks on Ryan Babel's webcam, while playing a Playstation
game. In the first 25 minutes on the pitch at the World
Cup he made everybody forget about that incident. "I
want to show the world who I am and what I can do,"
he says.
The man from the town of Voorburg
(near The Hague) and player of HSV Hamburg sees the
World Cup in South Africa as the ideal way to move a
few steps up the ladder.
His current German employer doesn't
play in Europe next season. "I want to play in
the Champions League. At HSV we didn't even qualify
for the UEFA Cup. We didn't achieve anything. Next season
we only compete in the Bundesliga and in the German
Cup. Besides I played on all positions this season,
except on the one where I should be. There will be a
new manager (Armin Veh, df) this next season, so we'll
see how it goes. It's time for them to start making
choices, because if they put me on the bench there will
be trouble."
"I am never nervous, never"
There's a big chance Elia willget some playing time
against Japan, and all eyes will be on him when it happens.
It doesn't make him nervous. "I've never been nervous.
Never The World Cup is great, but this stage to me is
like any othergame. I want to show the world who I am
and what I can do".
"To hell with everyone"
Elia said that during the game with Denmark his mindset
was 'to hell with everyone'. "That is me. You have
to try and wreck an opponent. I don't care who I'm up
against. No, I haven't a clue who is the right-back
of Japan. What does it matter? I don't lose sleep over
it. In fact I can't wait to be up against real world
class opponents. I would like to see if I can do well
against them."
Full of confidence
His enormous amount of self-confidence makes the former
player of Ajax, ADO Den Haag and FC Twente into one
of a rare species of wingers who can run at an opponent.
"All it takes is the guts tot take an opponent
on, even when it went wrong the first time. I have these
guts."
Elia is a big fan of Lionel Messi.
"He just keeps on going, even when he gets a little
shove. Not like Cristiano Ronaldo, who is down on the
floor at the slightest push."
***
Holland
and Japan head-to-head.
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