He arrived in the Premier League after an extraordinary bureaucratic effort following the war in Ukraine and was injured near the first round of the season, but Manor Solomon proved this season to the Israeli audience, and a little to himself, that it takes more than that to break him. In an interview he gave last night (Saturday) To Elad Shamhioff in Channel 12’s weekend news, He told about the difficult period and the fruits he later reaped with his five goals in the English league.
“Score 79 in FIFA? They gave me 76 at the beginning, they raised me to 77 and in a good period they raised me to 79,” he said. “Haganah 43? Always attacking players like that. physical 57? This they must rise. They think that because I’m a dwarf, then I’m also weak. They made me look a little ugly in FIFA. What is the goal in FIFA? The ambition is 82, I will be pleased. I’m on my way there, little by little.”
Regarding the bag of expectations weighing on his shoulders, Solomon said: “From a young age I know the pressure around me. They always told me that I would be a very good player in the seniors and a lot was expected of me, even in the team I played for. At the age of 17-18 it was difficult for me to put the pressure aside, It was hard for me to get on the field and be quiet because I knew what was expected of me and that teams from abroad were looking at me.”
Solomon went on to recall the uncertain days in Ukraine: “Shakhtar is a huge club in Europe, I saw it as a stage in my development. The war started one day, we were told in the team that nothing should happen, but then one day I got up and there were sounds of explosions, and then the war started. No I was afraid, but people around me were afraid. I was at the border for 11 hours and a vehicle came to rescue me. There was complete uncertainty.
“If you succeed, you can move to a bigger team, or even get a better contract. If you don’t succeed, chances are that your story in England will end.”
Regarding the injury at the beginning of the season, he added: “I told myself why, why is this happening to me. I have arrived, I have my time to prove myself, to fulfill a dream. This is my year, so why this injury now? There were many concerns and you reflect on yourself a lot because you Not exactly what’s happening. I was worried that I wouldn’t be the same manor as before the injury, but luckily I was wrong. The first goal was amazing, I thought about the moments when I was injured, that I was with Kebayim, a lot of emotion erupted. I thank God that it happened to me, but I said that this was just my beginning.” .
“What I’m experiencing is a dream,” concluded the Israeli star. “Everyone wants me to stay, to sign a contract for next season. When I was injured, no one knew me. Today they already know me, they sing me songs. It’s a dream.”