'I like to be famous but unknown' - Ekitike in his own words

The Football Interview is simply a caller bid successful which nan biggest names successful athletics and intermezo subordinate big Kelly Somers for bold and in-depth conversations astir nan nation's favourite sport.

We'll research mindset and motivation, and talk astir defining moments, profession highs and individual reflections. The Football Interview brings you nan personification down nan player.

Interviews will driblet connected Saturdays crossed BBC iPlayer, BBC Sounds and nan BBC Sport website. This week's question and reply will beryllium broadcast connected BBC One from 23:40 BST connected Saturday, 4 October (and aft Sportscene successful Scotland).

Hugo Ekitike has surely made an effect since joining Liverpool - scoring 5 goals successful his first 10 appearances.

The Frenchman has settled consecutive into life successful nan Premier League aft a £69m summertime move from Eintracht Frankfurt.

The 23-year-old started his profession pinch Reims, past had a short spell successful Denmark pinch Vejle Boldklub earlier securing a move to Paris St-Germain - first connected loan, past connected a longer-term deal.

Things didn't activity for him successful nan French capital, but a transportation to Frankfurt kick-started Ekitike's career.

There he scored 15 goals and provided 8 assists successful nan Bundesliga past season.

Ekitike sat down pinch Kelly Somers to talk astir his childhood, what it's for illustration to play alongside Mohamed Salah and really he loves to draw.

Kelly Somers: What was a young Hugo Ekitike like?

Hugo Ekitike: Shy. Very shy. I person changed this. Nice, aforesaid arsenic now. And passionate pinch football.

Kelly: At what constituent did shot participate your life aliases has it ever been there?

Hugo: I deliberation shot is conscionable my full life. I conscionable did football. Even erstwhile I talk pinch my brothers, astir of nan clip it's football. That is conscionable my passion and I conscionable emotion what I do. At nan moment, it is nan only point connected my mind, and since I was young.

Kelly: You conscionable mentioned your brothers - are they your earliest representation of football, playing pinch them?

Hugo: They are not bully astatine football! We each emotion shot but we conscionable randomly played successful nan thoroughfare and I person ever been playing outside. I retrieve besides [playing] astatine school. I benignant of played it everyplace erstwhile I was young - that is my memories of football.

Kelly: When did you realise you were amended than your brothers astatine football?

Hugo: Not only my brothers but my relative was playing football. They were playing for nosy successful teams and worldly but they didn't scope nan apical level. But my family emotion shot and we stock nan aforesaid passion. It didn't activity for them but they unrecorded nan dream done me.

Kelly: Have you ever been a forward?

Hugo: I person ever been an violative player. When I was younger, I was smaller truthful I was a winger, but astir 16-21 I grew and now I americium excessively long! That is why I went successful nan mediate - a centre-forward.

Kelly: Too long? I don't deliberation you tin beryllium excessively agelong arsenic a striker...

Hugo: Not excessively long, but evidently I americium tall. I deliberation Cody [Gakpo] is nan only gangly winger I know.

Kelly: Can you retrieve nan sanction of nan first squad you played for and what do you retrieve from playing there?

Hugo: Cormontreuil. I retrieve that was nan nine from my area truthful it wasn't that serious. We conscionable went connected nan pitch, nary warm-up, we conscionable played games. I was very young. I started erstwhile I was 4 and a half truthful astatine that clip I was conscionable learning nan basics. I went to shot to person fun. It was not serious. It was bully times.

Kelly: Can you sanction anyone, for illustration a coach, who has guided you aliases had nan biggest effect connected your career?

Hugo: I retrieve nan sanction of my first coach - Rodolf. He was nan 1 who brought maine to Cormontreuil erstwhile I was young. Where I was from, I was successful nan centre for kids because my mum was working. He brought maine to nan team. When I was successful Paris, I came backmost because I person my sanction location successful nan shot club. We don't talk overmuch but I retrieve him and if I spell location 1 day, I will spell to opportunity 'hi'.

Kelly: Has location been 1 peculiar turning constituent successful your career?

Hugo: When I was 14, I was playing successful nan Reims academy and I was bad. I was really bad. I was nan benignant who dreamed a batch connected nan pitch. I had value but I was dreaming excessively overmuch - a sleeping player.

I had an assignment pinch my parent. They told maine if that were astatine nan extremity of nan season, that would beryllium nan end.

Kelly: You would beryllium released?

Hugo: Yeah. I knew past it would ne'er happen. In my mind, I wanted to beryllium nan best. When I came back, I was really good. It focused maine and location was a turning point. I had different turning points later but that was nan first 1 successful my life.

Kelly: What different turning points person you had? You've already played successful 4 countries and you're only 23.

Hugo: When I went to Denmark, I was connected nan chair - I didn't play. That was nan turning constituent because I wanted to show I was good. When I came backmost to Reims, I was nan first striker connected nan list. They wanted maine to spell connected indebtedness but I showed successful pre-season that I could play. That was a turning point. It made my full life.

Kelly: Your clip astatine PSG - really overmuch has that shaped who you are today?

Hugo: Becoming a bully subordinate is nan biggest turning constituent successful my life. That was nan first infinitesimal successful my life that I person known failure. It was astir apt half-time and it group maine to beryllium much reliable successful nan head. I americium different since I went to Paris. I americium a measurement amended subordinate and amended human. I person changed truthful much.

Kelly: What has it been for illustration astatine Liverpool truthful far?

Hugo: The first emotion was that I was proud. To travel present erstwhile I cognize wherever I travel from. I cognize shot is conscionable moments - you tin beryllium astatine nan apical and spell down straight. I group my mind to ever beryllium ready, activity hard, amended myself and bring occurrence to nan squad and thief nan maximum measurement I tin to scope trophies and wins.

Kelly: What is it for illustration playing pinch Mohamed Salah?

Hugo: Really good. Mo is simply a really cool guy, he is really unfastened pinch maine and is really bully to talk too. He is awesome to play with. I was watching him connected TV erstwhile he was scoring nan goals and worldly but he is simply a really awesome athlete. You tin conscionable amended yourself and study from him. It is bully to stock nan transportation pinch him and I dream we are going to people tons of goals and bring immoderate wins to nan squad together.

Kelly: What is he for illustration arsenic a person, distant from nan pitch?

Hugo: He is very cool. More cool than what I person seen connected TV because sometimes you spot consecutive look and worldly truthful I thought he was cold... personification who doesn't talk a lot. He is really open, for illustration each of nan guys here. They are really unfastened and want maine to accommodate to nan team.

Kelly: What are your memories from your childhood?

Hugo: I grew up much pinch my mum. I spent a batch of clip pinch my mum and my small brother. It was conscionable football. I was going to schoolhouse and playing football. Everywhere.

Kelly: I saw a video of your brothers and friends erstwhile you scored your first Liverpool goal.

Hugo: I retrieve my friend was there, but it was excessively overmuch - I don't for illustration that benignant of video. But it was bully because erstwhile I was successful Paris, they were location pinch me. I person nan aforesaid group location erstwhile I person occurrence and erstwhile I don't person success, and I deliberation they are very proud of maine and I deliberation successful clip they are going to beryllium bully memories to spot connected video. Hopefully they will beryllium location for galore much goals.

Kelly: You said location you don't for illustration that benignant of video. Are you rather a backstage person?

Hugo: If it's me, I show this to people. I cognize it comes pinch being a shot subordinate pinch Liverpool - you are much famous, but my backstage life I don't want group to know. I for illustration to beryllium celebrated but unknown. People don't cognize what I americium doing erstwhile I americium location aliases what I do during my free clip aliases talking to my brother.

Kelly: What do you do connected your emblematic time disconnected distant from football?

Hugo: One time disconnected aliases 2 days off?

Kelly: Your choice. Do you get 2 days disconnected astatine Liverpool often?

Hugo: Not often, but if it happens I spell to Paris to my family location and meet everybody. If I person 1 time off, honestly there's not overmuch I tin do. I conscionable chill astatine location - recovery, PlayStation, swimming pool, jacuzzi. I watch movies.

Kelly: What benignant of movies do you like?

Hugo: My favourite one? I person 2 which are Whiplash and The Wolf of Wall Street.

Kelly: Tell maine 1 point astir yourself that mightiness astonishment me:

Hugo: I americium left-handed, you didn't know? I don't know, thing special?

Kelly: Have you sewage a concealed talent?

Hugo: Ah yes, I person one. I tin draw. People, everything, life. Sometimes I for illustration to draw. It's ever been easy for me.

Kelly: If you could only execute 1 much point successful your profession what would it be?

Hugo: It's difficult because I want to execute truthful galore things but, correct now, Premier League pinch Liverpool.

Kelly: That's why you came present isn't it?

Hugo: Yeah. I cognize really typical it is to triumph nan Premier League for English people. Especially here. So, yeah, to triumph nan convention pinch Liverpool it would beryllium class. I'm excited.