The integration of new players into an elite wardrobe is often a discreet process, but in Manchester City, the arrival of former Lyonnais Rayan Cherki was made particularly public and fun thanks to the exuberant nature of the Norwegian star, Erling Haaland.
These last two months have seen an unexpected friendship, a real bromance that few observers had been born, had anticipated, punctuated by direct humor and without complex from the Norwegian “cyborg”.
The last episode of this complicity took place on the team's plane, and Haaland did not hesitate to share it with millions of followers on social networks. Using the tone of the ironic complaint, the attacker has teased his new French teammate in a way that could not be more frontal.
“Donnarumma did not want to sit with me and now I have to sit with the big French Schjerki”.
The context of the chambering is simple: a change of places on the team's plane. The initial object of teasing was none other than the goalkeeper, the Italian Gianluigi Donnarumma. The legend posted by Haaland en Story was scathing: “Donnarumma did not want to sit with me and now I have to sit with the big French Schjerki”.
This message is remarkable in several respects. First, it is full of raw and spontaneous humor that characterizes Haaland, a player who displays the same absence of filter on social networks as on the field. Second, he voluntarily scours, and in an “insolent” manner as the article underlines, the name of the tricolor international, calling it “Schjerki”, adding an affectionate mockery layer. Finally, the qualifier of “big French” is an obvious way of establishing a dynamic of good -natured chambering, but which especially reveals sufficient proximity to afford such familiarity.
This teasing is all the more revealing since Rayan Cherki, 22, is three years older in Haaland, 25. Despite this age difference, the Norwegian seems to have taken the ex-Lyon under his wing, using his style, direct and uninhibited, to facilitate his integration. In a high pressure environment like that of Manchester City, such support, even if it goes through the joke, is invaluable for a player in the middle of an adaptation phase.
The integration of a talent slowed down by an injury
The arrival of Rayan Cherki in the northwest of England this summer was awaited impatiently, especially after his remarkable passage at Olympique Lyonnais. However, its sporting integration was slowed down by an injury contracted in late August. While he refines his return and adaptation to the requirements of English football, this friendship with Haaland, already visible many times on the sidelines of matches and on social platforms, is a key indicator of his success outside the field.
Successful integration out of the field is often the springboard necessary to perform once the full shape is found. Weaving solid links and being accepted by the dominant figures of the locker room, in this case the top scorer of the team, is a strong signal for the rest of the group and for the coach, Pep Guardiola. This suggests that Cherki, despite his young age and notoriety, was able to find his place and tone within the plethoric and starred workforce of the Cityzens.
The current international truce period is a crucial moment for Cherki, who is working hard to return to competition. The article also mentions the hope of a return to the Premier League this weekend, stressing that his rehabilitation is coming to an end.
When Cherki is available again, this privileged relationship with Haaland could result in a technical complicity in the field. A creative and technical winger like Cherki, accustomed to dropouts and licked passes, could form an explosive duo with the scoring machine that is Haaland. Mutual trust, reinforced by these private jokes, is the cement that allows attacks to materialize under pressure.
In conclusion, if Haaland's teasing is entertaining, it is above all the sign of successful integration and a positive atmosphere in the Manchester City locker room. It shows that even the biggest stars of modern football, despite their millions and their celebrity, cultivate essential human ties, and that sometimes, to make a friend, it only takes a good old chambrage on a plane. For Rayan Cherki, being the target of Haaland's humor is undoubtedly the clearest proof that he is now part of the City family.
