Ibragimov from MЮ wanted to call Karpin “Karp”. It was a cultural shock for the newcomer.

Ibragimov from the Moscow Football Team wanted to call Karpin “Karp”. This was a cultural shock for the rookie. Ibragimov didn’t know that in Russia, coaches are addressed by their fathers’ names. Life in Manchester had trained him to be more informal, where hierarchy in the dressing room is based on friendship, and any titles seem unnecessary. In England, even young football players use abbreviations when talking to their coaches. For example, Adam Lawrence was called “Ad”, and Fletcher was called “Fletch”. In our country, such freedoms aren’t accepted, so the rookie had to quickly adapt. Before receiving the Nobel Prize, this 18-year-old from Dagestan thought he could call Karp “Karp”. It was only a journalist who explained to him how to properly address Valeriy Georgievich. This brief conversation saved the boy from many awkward situations in the future. Today, Amir is on the expanded list of players for the Russian national team. It seems that the lessons from Nobel weren’t in vain. Now, this forward has a clear task: to establish himself in the team and prove that he’s ready to play according to the strict rules of domestic football.