Southampton midfielder Carlos ‘Charly’ Alcaraz has admitted he was left surprised by the support following relegation, as they would have been burning cars back in Argentina.
The youngster has been speaking to YouTube channel Ezzequiel about his career so far, which includes last season’s relegation with Southampton.
He joined the Saints in a €13.65m deal from Racing in January this year and quickly established himself as a key player in the second half of the season.
Despite some impressive performances, though, he was unable to help them remain in the Premier League as Southampton eventually finished bottom of the Premier League with 25 points, 11 points from safety.
It was a disappointing end to what had been a disastrous campaign for Southampton, who went through numerous managers and never looked likely to avoid the drop.
Their eventual relegation brought an end to a 11-year-stay in the Premier League following five years in the Championship and two in League One in between.
It was naturally an extremely disappointing moment for everyone involved but Alcaraz admits he was surprised by the completely different reaction to what is common in his homeland.
“It has no comparison,” he said.
“Here we had the misfortune of being relegated and we felt the support of the people. They were with us.
“In Argentina, a club goes down and it is death for all the players. They would have burned your cars; they break your pitch, and they sing to you.”
