HE might have been born in Newton Heath, the spiritual home of Manchester United, but Nathan Eccleston is a big Barcelona fan.
The first replica shirt he ever owned was the Spanish club’s famous red and blue stripes, his favourite player is Ronaldo (Brazilian not Portuguese!) and the stadium he’d most like to play at is the Nou Camp.
“Barca have such a great tradition as a football club,” he told Liverpool’s official website. “They get up to 80,000 crowds and to play in front of so many people would be an incredible experience.”
On Brazilian ace Ronaldo, pictured left, Eccleston explained: “Thierry Henry runs him close, but Ronaldo’s the best player I’ve ever seen.
“When he was at his best – during his time at Barcelona, obviously – he was just awesome.”
Another of Barca’s Brazilian stars, Rivaldo, was the name on the back of the first football top worn by Eccleston, who is No36 in Town’s new-look roster.
“It was my birthday, and I used the money I got to buy it,” he recalled.
