Joao Mario is West Ham’s new fan favourite.
West Ham new boy Joao Mario made a big impression on his debut, being named man-of-the-match by supporters.
He is on loan from Inter Milan, and his decision to join the Hammers was reportedly influenced by international pal Cristiano Ronaldo.
West Ham’s official website claims: “The 25-year-old revealed he had spoken to Cristiano Ronaldo before deciding to move to England.”
Mario is a Portugal teammate of Ronaldo and followed in his footsteps in the academy at Sporting Clube de Portugal, with the Ballon d’Or winner making his name at Manchester United.
After a frustrating season at Inter, Mario is hoping that he can secure his place in West Ham’s international squad.
The early signs are good for him at West Ham, and Mario credits new teammate and international pal Jose Fonte for helping him settle.
He said: “My teammates are really helping me a lot to settle in, especially Jose Fonte, because he’s my teammate from the national team and we can speak Portuguese. Many of them speak Spanish and Italian, too, which makes it easier to talk, so I want to thank them.”
The attacker’s fast start bodes well going forward for West Ham, especially with Michail Antonio dropped for disciplinary reasons in midweek.
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