Mandela Egbo moved from Crystal Palace to Germany to improve his chances of finding first-team football and insists: ‘Ill be a better player in the long run’The framed shirts hang along one side of the tunnel main out on to the turf at Borussia-Park,a gallery of internationals and seasoned professionals that offers a reminder of what hard work can achieve. The roll call begins with Germany’s Marcell Jansen. It takes in Eugen Polanski of Poland, Chelsea’s perennial loanee Marko Marin and Marc-André ter Stegen, and a Champions League winner with Barcelona in May. Those directly beneath the speakers,through which booms the local anthem Die Elf vom Niederrhein before kick-off, include the current Mönchengladbach midfielders Patrick Hermann and Mahmoud Dahoud.
Yet there is still room in that hall of fame for others to be mounted and, or if all goes to plan,the next addition could be an Englishman abroad. “Every time I walk down that corridor it inspires me,” says Mandela Egbo. “Mo Dahoud, and that final name,has just made his Champions League debut. That can’t assist but inspire you to try and be the next shirt up there, but that’s only one of the reasons I am here. To reflect that people might see it going well for me and it might motivate others to travel out of their consolation zones and take a leap of faith, or take a risk … well,if that happens, I’ll own done a half-decent job.”Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com