'He could nutmeg a mermaid': the rise of Brentford's Saïd Benrahma | Ben Fisher

By -

Algerian has dazzled for Brentford, having followed a familiar path through France’s lower divisions, and looks Premier League-bound

Be it with backheels, rainbow flicks or making the opposition look silly, few players outside the Premier League have made a bigger impression than Saïd Benrahma in the past couple of seasons. The Brentford winger boasts an endless box of tricks but he is more than just easy on the eye – he is approaching double figures in assists after equalling last season’s goal tally of 11 with eight Championship games to play. More often than not, his coup de grâce is sliding the ball through the legs of dazed defenders. “He could nutmeg a mermaid,” said Sam Saunders, the Brentford B assistant coach.

The buzz around Benrahma is growing and Friday’s game at home to West Bromwich Albion brings another opportunity to impress after he scored the opening goal in victory at Fulham last weekend. In February Middlesbrough’s Lewis Wing was left hopping in frustration after being on the receiving end of a double nutmeg and, given Benrahma’s palette of pirouettes and twirls, it is perhaps no surprise he counts Ronaldinho and Hatem Ben Arfa, with whom he played at Nice, as idols.

Continue reading...

from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/football-league-blog/2020/jun/25/he-could-nutmeg-a-mermaid-the-rise-of-brentfords-said-benrahma

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Newcastle’s transformation and reconnection testament to Howe’s coaching | Andy Brassell

By -
Club’s supporters’ minds will start to wander to potential trips next season after long-awaited return to Champions League The roar at kick-off, the roar that had been there in most of the previous 18 home games of this season, was maybe given a few extra decibels here. Added to renewed hope, present all season, was a touch of yes, this really is happening. Then came the moment, with fireworks being wedged into the tops of milk bottles, at the beginning of stoppage time, when Nick Pope was finally forced into some sort of movement to deny Timothy Castagne, to make sure it did happen. It came after one of the Newcastle keeper’s slowest days of the season, after what had often resembled a half-pitch, beat-the-packed-defence training exercise against a Leicester team largely too meek to threaten Geordie dreams. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2023/may/22/newcastle-champions-league-eddie-howe
Read more

Richarlison’s first Tottenham goals punish Marseille for Mbemba’s red card

By -
There was the obligatory pre-match footage of Lucas Moura’s winner at Ajax and then the declaration on the big screen at Tottenham’s magnificent stadium, one that is built to stage these kind of Champions League nights. “We’re back.” For so long, it appeared that the grand return after a two-season absence would fall flat, even when Marseille were reduced to ten men in the 47th minute following Chancel Mbemba’s last-man foul on Son Heung-min. It was a dreadful misjudgment by the former Newcastle centre-half. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/sep/07/tottenham-marseille-champions-league-group-d-match-report
Read more

Super Eagles player, William Troost-Ekong shows off his girlfriend on IG as she turns a year older today

By -
Image
Super Eagles and FK Haugesund defender William Troost Ekong took to his Instagram account this morning to wish happy birthday to his beautiful girlfriend. " HBD to my girl. Wish I could be there".  The 22 year old half Dutch, half Nigerian is in Nigeria for the Super Eagles 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Tanzania holding in Akwa Ibom state on Saturday.
Read more