West Ham United midfielder Pablo Fornals has admitted he was ‘very shocked’ by the power captain Mark Noble has at the club.
Fornals joined the Hammers in a £25.2m move from Villarreal in 2019 as part of a big summer recruitment drive.
After initially struggling to impress, he’s become a key player for the Hammers, particularly since David Moyes arrived at the club.
He’s now racked up 118 appearances, scoring 16 goals and registering 14 assists, and is likely to add to that tally in the coming years, particularly as his current contract runs until 2024.
Those numbers pale into insignificance compared to West Ham captain Noble, though, who has been with the club since he was a boy.
He’s a bonafide West Ham legend, and Fornals admits he was surprised by the power he holds, having not experienced that in Spain.
“The moment I went to West Ham… I was very shocked by the power that my captain had,” he told Marca.
“He was the first person who spoke to me. I was playing the Under-21s, and I was talking to the captain without even seeing him. Not even the manager.
“He was the first one who took an interest in me and tried to help me right from the start. You don’t see that very often in Spain.
“Our captain has been playing for the same club for 16 years. He is history. Symbolism of that moment.”
