Former flying forward Frédéric Kanouté is the latest guest to look back at his Hammers highlights on Iron Cast, West Ham United’s official podcast!
The now 46-year-old paid a recent visit to where it all began for him in England, with an initial loan move in the early part of 2000 paving the way for his 92 appearances in Claret and Blue; a spell that yielded 33 goals.
Having departed boyhood club Olympique Lyonnais, Kanouté hit the ground running for Harry Redknapp’s Irons with a debut goal against Wimbledon a month-and-a-half before the end of the 1999/00 season.
While it did not appear to take him long to adapt to his new surroundings, the Mali international explained what it was really like having to get to grips with unfamiliar territory on and off the pitch.
Speaking to Iron Cast co-hosts Chris Scull and Anton Ferdinand, he said: “I don’t know the full story, but I think Harry had been at one of my games in France, looking at another player. I had a bit of an argument with Lyon and was looking to leave, and then there was a conversation between the Club and my agent. Harry maybe remembered me, and decided to bring me in.
“Before I joined West Ham I’d almost never played as a centre forward. I’d been a professional at Lyon for about three years and mostly played out wide. I’d even played as a number six and number eight earlier on.
“I was still learning the position - until later in my career when I’d left England, really - and I’d been training on my own for a few days before I turned up at the training ground. I remember arriving and the environment being very different to France.
“I remember thinking I’d been lied to in English lessons at school, because the accents were very difficult to understand! It was relaxed and very refreshing for me, and then very quickly that Wimbledon game came about, which turned out to be amazing.”
Firmly etched in the memories of West Ham fans far and wide - largely because of Paolo Di Canio’s early volley that is regarded as one of the Premier League’s best ever goals - the 2-1 win over Wimbledon will forever be special to Kanouté because of his own personal milestone.
Di Canio was one of a number of standout stars Kanouté lined up with during his time in east London, and after a ninth-place finish in that first campaign he was quick to sign for the Club on permanent terms in the summer.
He continued: “I remember my debut perfectly. I was almost going to be the star of the day, but Paolo just nicked it away from me!
“I got on really well with him, on and off the pitch. He was crazy, but he was very talented, and it was an honour to play alongside him and see his genius up close.
“We had an incredibly talented squad, and straightaway in training I saw that when I was playing with the likes of Joe Cole, Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard and Michael Carrick. There was a good mix because there were also strong characters, like Neil Ruddock and John Moncur.
“Jermain Defoe was another youngster there, who I played with more later on and thought of as a little brother. He was a pure number nine and a different style to me, but it clicked between us in and around the box.”
Despite the quality of West Ham’s players, the team succumbed to relegation from the top flight in 2002/03, spelling the end of Kanouté’s time at the Club as one of several departures.
Two seasons at London rivals Tottenham Hotspur preceded a seven-year spell at Sevilla in Spain - where he claimed several major honours including two Copa del Rey and UEFA Cup titles apiece - but Kanouté is clear that a large part of his heart remains Claret and Blue.
He added: “The relegation was one of the most difficult parts of my career. I still don’t understand it - with the players we had, it was just crazy.
“I found it really hard to take because I was injured for large parts of that season, and I felt I let the team down a bit. It’s hard when you want to roll up your sleeves and do your bit, but you’re not able to.
“People weren’t happy about me moving to Tottenham, but for me it was an opportunity to stay in the Premier League, and to keep pushing my career on. I always remember West Ham fondly though because it was my first team away from my home, and I learnt so much inside and outside football that helped me in my whole life.”
You can check out the whole episode in the video player above, or you can download and subscribe to Iron Cast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and RSS here now!
