Samatta reveals his pitch superstitions
Aston Villa striker Mbwana Samatta says he has made a habit of always stepping on the pitch with his right foot before a match.
The Tanzanian international, who moved to the English Premier League in January, also told Villa TV that he is looking forward to helping his club avoid relegation this season.
RIGHT FOOT FIRST
The EPL will restart this week after a 3-month forced break occasioned by the coronavirus pandemic and struggling Villa, currently placed second from bottom with 10 matches of the campaign remaining, will play host to Sheffield United on June 17.
“I got a few superstitions. I walk onto the pitch with the right foot first and touch the ground, then kiss it,” Samatta said.
Samatta, who scored against Kenya in his country’s 3-2 loss at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, has also listed the goal against Manchester City in Villa’s Carabao Cup final loss as his most important yet.
BEST GOAL
“It was fantastic to score because, before the game (teammate Jack) Grealish came to me and said ‘if you score today, you will be a legend and I was like ‘wow this is amazing if I can score'”, he said.
“I had never played at Wembley before, the stadium is big with a lot of supporters, and given that it was the final game, it was simply amazing to score there,” he recalled.
Prior to his move to England, Samatta starred for Simba SC in his home country, TP Mazembe (DR Congo) and Racing Genk in the Belgian top division.