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Leeds United star Mateusz Klich bemoans 'boring' PR footballers after viral Twitter insult
Leeds United social media king Mateusz Klich wishes more footballers would be the same as him because so many are “boring” otherwise.
The Polish midfielder went viral earlier this month when he responded to a fan complaining about his performance against Southampton (2 April) on Twitter by inviting “Bob” to go away with two words.
The interaction has spawned a line of charity merchandise with the proceeds helping support victims of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and Klich feels it would be beneficial if other players were on social media.
He told BBC West Yorkshire Daily: “I wish more players would use social media personally because a lot of players use PR companies which I think is boring.
“That’s why I don’t read interviews and I don’t really follow loads of footballers, because it’s boring.
“I use it by myself and I make mistakes sometimes, but it’s real.”
On the exchange with Bob he said: “I didn’t think it would be such a big, big story but it’s going to help raise some money for the [victims of] war in Ukraine which is good.”
Authentic
Bland interviews have long been a complaint of football fans everywhere, with media trained players well-versed in how to say nothing controversial, and largely therefore say nothing at all.
In the age of social media, where the majority of the population is trying to portray a sanitised version of their life, professionally controlled accounts are virtually the norm.
As a result when someone like Klich decides to use it to communicate directly it stands out as special.
It no doubt contributes to his popularity, but as the Bob thing illustrates it can be a double-edged sword.
While he was able to shut down the criticism he was getting in that case, plenty of players can be excused for wishing to remove themselves from the endless barrage of abuse they receive, especially the racist and sexist sort that many are subjected to daily.
If that weren’t a standard feature of online discourse then more players surely would use social media themselves.
But while Klich is happy to do it he will no doubt stand out as authentic in a a world where it is often hard to tell who the message comes from.
In other Leeds United news, one Whites star spent the recent break with a YouTube star watching a European giant.