Pablo Fornals is the latest Hammer to try his luck with our selection of random queries…
What is the best goal you have ever seen?
"It might sound a bit self-indulgent, but I have to go with my goal from the middle of the pitch for Villarreal against Athletic Bilbao in 2018.
"It was a beautiful goal. I don’t think I will ever score a goal like that again. I could have passed the ball to a teammate, but I just decided to shoot.
"When the ball was in the air, I was praying that it wouldn’t hit the cross-bar. I would rather it just went out of play rather than coming so close but striking the woodwork. But it went in, and it was an amazing moment."
Who is the most famous name in your phonebook?
"It has to be one of my West Ham teammates. I’m going to say Alphonse Areola, because he has won a World Cup!"
If you could be a professional at another sport, which sport would you choose?
"It would either be tennis or padel. I’ll go for padel. It’s like tennis but the rules are a bit different. It’s a sport which is quite big in Spain and is growing everywhere. There are a few courts in England now as well. I think everyone should give it a try because it’s a really fun sport."
What is the best thing about being a professional footballer?
"There are many things. I really like meeting people from different walks of life, and football gives you that opportunity when, otherwise, you probably wouldn’t get the chance. If I hadn’t been a footballer, I wouldn’t have met the people I have at West Ham, or the people I met during my time at Málaga.
"Also, you can be lucky enough to travel the world and see different places and, if you want to, you can live in so many different places."
What is your first ever memory of football?
"It’s funny. When I went back to Castellón, I saw the coordinator of the scholar tournaments. When I was a kid, I used to score a lot of goals in those sorts of tournaments. When I was four-years-old, I played for my school against another school and I scored eleven goals.
"This person was there that day and he told me ‘if you score one more then I’m going to take you off the pitch!’ I did score and he had to do it.
"Now I’m older and I go back, and I still see him in the city. I remember that moment vividly and it’s always nice to say hello to him when I go back."
What is your favourite sweet treat?
"When I was a child, I used to love these dinosaur cookies. I’m not sure you can get them in England, but they were very sweet and they had a lot of calories in them!
"I used to weigh a bit more than I should when I was a kid and, at Villarreal, they told me to lose a little weight. So, my mother took the cookies away and I lose a few kilogrammes very quickly. They were so tasty though, and I remember how good they were."
How did you get your current squad number and is there any significance to it?
"I was No18 when I first joined West Ham, and Felipe Anderson wore No8. I had the No8 at Villarreal too.
"I always felt the position the No8 is usually associated with is where I am at my best, so I love the No8. Andres Iniesta used to wear the No8 too, and he’s an influence on my style. Also, the No8 looks a bit like the infinity symbol, which I like as well."
What is your favourite tourist attraction in London?
"I go to Brick Lane market when I can, and I love it there. I really like to walk around those streets and see what people are selling, because there are different things every single week. It’s a brilliant part of the city.
"My favourite place in London is Shoreditch. It’s not too far from where I live, and there’s plenty to walk around, see and do."
Would you rather fight a kangaroo-sized duck or ten duck-sized kangaroos?
"What a last question! I’d rather not fight with anyone. I’d rather try and talk it out, although I’m not sure the duck or the kangaroos would understand me.
"I’ll say the little kangaroos, because I can run away from them and I don’t think they will be able to catch me! I will say I saw a normal-sized kangaroo during our pre-season tour of Australia, and I would not want to fight one of them for sure!"
