Ekitic: I experienced failure for the first time in Paris, and I hope to score a lot of goals with Salah

Liverpool striker Ekitic accepted an exclusive interview with the BBC, recalling his growth experience and talking about his self in life.

What did Ekitic look like when he was young?

is very shy, very shy, but I have changed that, I am now in a good personality and full of passion for football.

When did football enter your life? Or is it always there?

Football is my whole life, I only have football, and even when I chat with my brothers, I talk about football most of the time. This is where my passion lies. I love what I do. From childhood to now, football has been the only thing I care about.

Is playing football with your brothers the earliest memory of you and football?

They actually didn't play well. When we all loved football, we just played football casually on the street. I played football outdoors since I was a child, and I also played at school. When I was young, I played football everywhere.

When did you realize that you are better at playing football than your brothers?

At that time, we just formed a team to play and didn't reach that level. Our whole family loved football and shared this passion, but they failed to realize their football dream, and I succeeded.

Have you always been a forward?

Yes, I have always been an offensive player. When I was a child, I was relatively small and played as a winger. I grew taller from the age of 16 to 21. Now I am too tall, which is why I changed to play as a center.

Will anyone think the striker is too high?

is not too high, but it is obviously taller. Gakepo is probably the only tall winger I know.

Do you still remember the name of the first team you played for?

Comonterrey, that's the club in our hometown, but not that formal. I was very young at that time and started playing football at the age of four and a half, and I was just learning basic skills at that time. Playing football is just for fun, not very serious, it was a wonderful time.

Which coach or character has the greatest impact on your career?

I remember my first coach was Rudolph, who took me to Comontrey. My mom was working at that time and I was in the nursery and he brought me to the team. Later, I went back once when I was in Paris. We don’t contact each other much now, but I remember him. If one day I go back to my hometown, I will go and say hello to him.

Are there any special turning points in your career?

I was 14 years old and performed very badly when playing football in Lance youth training. I am a player who always daydreams on the court. Although I am talented, I always feel like sleepwalking. My parents had a conversation with me and they told me that if I was still like this by the end of the season, I would be swept out.

You were once facing termination?

Yes, since then, so I can't let this happen, I want to be the best player in my heart. After returning to the court, my condition improved by leaps and bounds. That conversation made me regain my focus and was also a turning point in my life. There were other turning points later, but that was the first in my life.

What other turning points have you experienced?

When I was rented out of Denmark (Wael), I had been on the bench and had no chance to play. That was also a turning point because I wanted to prove myself. When I returned to Lance, I was the team's first choice for the forward line. The team wanted to rent me out again, but I proved that I could do it through my preseason performance. That was also an important turning point, and it changed my life.

How much impact did your experience in joining Paris have on you?

That was the first time I experienced the taste of failure, but it also made me psychologically more tenacious. Since I went to Paris, I have become different. Not only have my skills improved, but my behavior has also become more mature. I have changed a lot.

Talking about joining Liverpool

was proud at the beginning, but I knew where I came from, and I understood that the football world was changing rapidly, and the peaks and troughs were between the front line. I told myself to be prepared, train hard, improve myself, bring success to the team, and do my best to help the team win trophies and wins.

What does it feel like to play football with Salah?

feels very good, he is a cool guy, he is very honest with me, easy to communicate, he is a good teammate. I used to admire him when I saw him scoring goals on TV. He is a great athlete. You can learn a lot from him, improve yourself, and fight alongside him. I hope we can score a lot of goals for the team together and bring more victory.

What kind of person is Salah off the court?

He is very cool, even cooler than I see on TV, because sometimes he looks expressionless on TV, and I thought he would be more cold and taciturn people, but in fact he is as cheerful as everyone else.

Are you a more privacy-oriented person?

If it is my private matter, I will choose not to make it public. I know being a Liverpool player means greater visibility, but I hope my private life is not known to everyone. I like the feeling of becoming famous, but I remain unfamiliar. I don't want people to know what I do at home, or how I spend my free time, or even the conversation between me and my brother can be ignored. How will you spend your rest day?

I will visit my family villa in Paris. If I only have one day to rest, I don’t have much to do. I usually stay at home and relax, recover, play PlayStation, swim, bubble jacuzzi, and watch a few more movies.

What movie do you like?

Favorites "Breaking Drummer" and "Wolf of Wall Street". What might be surprising if

says something?

I am left-handed, you don't know? I don't know, is it special?

What hidden talents do you have?

I can draw, draw people, draw anything, draw life, I like to draw, and it is a very relaxing thing for me.

If you can only achieve one more goal in your career, what would it be?

This is difficult to choose, I have many goals I want to achieve, but for the moment, it is to win the Premier League championship with Liverpool.

This is why you came here, right?

Yes, I know how special it is to win the Premier League title, so it would be great to win the Premier League for Liverpool and I'm excited about it.