Martin Samuelsen showed that practice makes perfect at the weekend when he notched a free-kick for Norway U18 in their 2-0 victory over Latvia.
Samuelsen’s prowess from the dead ball has been helped in no small part by taking tips from the free-kick experts he observes every day in training at Chadwell Heath – and none more so than Dimitri Payet.
Payet’s impact since coming to the Barclays Premier League has been clear for all to see – his four goals have helped the Hammers move into a top six place – and Samuelsen says he can learn plenty from the Frenchman.
He said: “I often take free-kicks after training and there I have a good mentor in Dimitri Payet.
“He and I stand together after training and practice such things, so I have picked up something from him.”