Arsenal forward Alexandre Lacazette has revealed that his footballing career could have been very different if it wasn’t for his mother.
The France international says he once enjoyed playing in goal, but his mother believed that was too dangerous and instructed him to play as a forward instead.
Lacazette 14/1 to be PL top scorer
Since making the transition, the 26-year-old striker has thrived, scoring at a terrific rate since breaking into the Lyon first team in 2010 and continuing that run with a promising start to life in the Premier League.
“I did like playing in goal when I was young but my mum wasn't very keen as she thought being a goalie was too dangerous. She said that I either played as a forward or not at all,” he told The Sun.
Lacazette has played seven Premier League matches for the Gunners and has scored four goals, a promising return in his opening weeks at the Emirates Stadium.
Last term he managed 37 in 45 matches in all competitions for Lyon, though he has admitted that it will be a struggle to match that number in his debut season in England.
The Frenchman has always enjoyed the cut-and-thrust of competitive football – even when he was younger.
"Sometimes I was embarrassed for the opposition if there was a huge goal difference between the two teams but that didn't happen all the time,” he said.
"I suppose temperament wise, I was quite reserved. I still am. I just liked playing football with my friends.
"If we lost, of course I was sad. I used to cry at the slightest negative thing. Don't worry, it's changed now!"
Lacazette has helped the Gunners make a promising start to the season, climbing to fourth in the standings having recovered from setbacks against Stoke and Liverpool in the early weeks of the campaign.
He is currently on international duty with France, with whom he is aiming to reach World Cup 2018 in fixtures against Bulgaria and Belarus.
When Lacazette returns to Arsenal after the two-week international break, he will face matches against Watford and Everton in the Premier League, with a Europa League trip to Red Star Belgrade in between.
