After releasing Radamel Falcao and Alexandre Pato from the squad at the end of last season, Chelsea recently announced the signing of Belgian striker Michy Batshuayi from Marseille for £33 million after gazumping Crystal Palace’s bid of £31 million.
The striker joins Diego Costa and Bertrand Traore to complete the attacking lineup for the Blues. He is coming back off an excellent season where he accounted for 54% of Marseille’s goals, scoring 17 goals in the league and 23 goals all competitions.
The young Belgian has an excellent strike ratio, scoring three goals in just seven games for Belgium, despite coming on as late substitutes in most of the matches. He even scored in Euro 2016 scoring from his first touch after his new teammate Eden Hazard set him up after a brilliant run.
The Belgian striker is an interesting character and is known for his bad boy behaviour that got him kicked out from the Anderlecht youth side. He switched between six youth sides before signing his first professional contract with Standard Liege.
Following are some of the unknown facts about the young Belgian:
1) Ebony Shoe winner
The former Marseille forward won the Belgian Ebony Shoe in the 2013/14 season during his Standard Liege career. The Belgian Ebony Shoe is a prestigious award given to a player who either hails from Africa or is of African descent for his brilliant performance in the year.
Midfielder Mbark Boussoufa won the award three times, making him the player with the most Ebony shoes, followed by Manchester City defender and captain Vincent Kompany and Daniel Amokachi, who both won it twice. Former Chelsea forward and Batshuayi’s Belgian teammate Romelu Lukaku won it once along with Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini, who both won it once.
He scored 23 goals in 49 games all competitions with Standard Liege, which made him win the prestigious award in the Belgian Pro League that season.
#2 His Congolese descent
Michy Batshuayi was born to parents of Congolese descent in Belgium. So, he was offered the chance to represent Congo National Team, but he chose to play for Belgium, his nation of birth. The forward’s brother, Aaron Leya Iseka holds the citizenship of the Democratic Republic of Congo, but he is yet to be called up by either of the two nations as yet.
Both the brothers were born in Brussels, Belgium, with Michy being the older brother. The forward has been in sublime form for his country scoring three goals in just seven games for the Red Devils, showing his intent in scoring. He scored a goal in his debut appearance for the country and since then, goals have followed.
#3 His love for SpongeBob Squarepants
The Belgian forward has not hidden his love for SpongeBob Squarepants as he has been very open about his love for the cartoon. The forward is not shy about it and has been seen wearing a SpongeBob Squarepants bag to training. Such is the love that the 22-year-old shares for the hit cartoon.
On being asked about his love for the cartoon, he said: "SpongeBob Squarepants is a cartoon I love, especially when I'm in bed by myself at home and I have trouble sleeping, my reflex is to put cartoons on. I took to SpongeBob and started watching it frequently; even when I'm older I think I'll still watch the show!"
Although the forward is 22 years old, he is still a child at heart, owing to his love for cartoons. French forward Antoine Griezmann is also an avid fan of the popular kid’s show. He was seen sporting SpongeBob Squarepants underwear in matches.
These shorts are believed to be his lucky charm and he only wears them on match days. This proves that the Belgian forward is not the only one in love with the cartoon, showing the appeal the cartoon has on young footballers.
#4 Batshuayi: The Dark Knight?
This one will delight the Chelsea fans the most. His nickname is Batman! It seems that the fans finally have got their Dark Knight in the form of Michy Batshuayi. He was seen sporting a batman mask once, showing how much the character means to him.
Batshuayi will hope to be the silent guardian and a watchful protector for the Chelsea fans, although his primary job is to score goals! The Belgian is often called Bat by people who have a hard time pronouncing his name, as the word Bat is a part of his surname.
His love for Batman is shared by Dortmund forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who regularly wears the Batman mask after scoring goals. He, along with Marco Reus, who wears the Robin mask, complete the Bat family, showing how much these footballers love superheroes.
Many of them actually become superheroes for their fans, due to their excellent performances, so there is no doubt the Belgian would look to become a superhero for the Blues fanatics.
#5 Another Drogba?
Due to the nature of the young Belgians arrival, comparisons to Chelsea legend Didier Drogba were inevitable. Both of these strikers left Marseille to join Chelsea, so the new Chelsea man would look to emulate the success of the former Chelsea man.
What’s more interesting is that when Didier Drogba left Marseille in the 2003/04 season, he was the most expensive sale that Marseille had made, at a price of £24 million. 13 years later, Michy Batshuayi was sold for £33 million, breaking the record of Drogba.
If the signs are to go by, there is no reason the Chelsea fans won’t be excited about the signing of the forward. Although both have come from Marseille, the young Belgian has dismissed the talks of being similar to Drogba, saying that he respects the career of the Ivorian, but maintains both are different.
