People Around Me Have Been Really Positive: Jahanbakhsh
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Brighton winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh says that the people around him have always been really positive to help him to find his feet.
On Saturday he found back of the net against Bournemouth. Five days later he struck with an equalizing bicycle kick against Chelsea that evoked the spirit of Wayne Rooney’s classic overhead goal against Manchester City. Both times, Jahanbakhsh was overwhelmed by emotion and the goodwill of his team-mates.
But he no longer wants to be the surprise scorer who everyone used to pity. “I hope, I can’t promise, but I hope it won’t happen again, to get such emotion,” he says.
Back home in Iran, where he lived and played until joining NEC in Holland in 2013, he was expected to carry the nation’s flag in the Premier League. When he faded from view in Chris Hughton’s final season in charge, the disappointment of a country was added to personal anguish.
“The people around me have always been really positive, saying just be patient, you’ll get your chance, you will be as good as you want,” he said at Brighton’s training ground.
“There was a lot of negative stuff out there. Back home people weren’t that happy to be honest, because people wanted me to play and football is really big back home. Now I see the same people are coming with different [more positive] comments,” he added.
