Maxime Esteve yana tarihi mai rikitarwa da Manchester City — amma mai tsaron baya na RB Leipzig yana matukar son fuskantar su a sake. Ɗan Faransa mai shekaru 24, wanda ya shiga Leipzig daga Burnley a lokacin bazara, ya kasance a benci a matsayin wanda ba a yi amfani da shi ba a wasanni biyu na farko na ƙungiyarsa a marhalar rukuni ta UEFA Champions League. Ya yarda cewa kusan zai yi komai don samun damar farko a gasar manyan kulob ɗin Turai.

"Shekaru biyar da suka wuce, lokacin da nake yaro ƙarami a Montpellier, da na yi komai don samun kaina a wannan halin yanzu, ko da yake wani lokaci ba ka samu lokacin wasa da kake so", in ji Esteve. "Koyaushe mafarki ne a gare ni in buga wasan ƙwallon ƙafa don kulob ɗin Champions League."

Sashin yiwa ƙwallaye a gidansa da da yake son manta

Sake haduwa da Manchester City yana ɗauke da tunani mai ɗaci. Esteve ya ci ƙwallaye biyu a ragar ƙungiyarsa a Etihad Stadium a kakar da ta gabata yana wakiltar Burnley — munanan alherin da ya yi hankali cewa bai bayyana wa sabon abokan wasansa a Leipzig. "Watakila ba su san komai ba", ya yi raha.

Ƙididdigar da ta biyo baya ta kasance mai wuyan yin watsi da ita: har zuwa watan Nuwamba na kakar da ta gabata, Esteve ya ci ƙwallaye fiye da duk wanda aka ɗaura a ƙungiyar Burnley a ragar City — sai dai Erling Haaland a jerin maharba. "Wannan sirri ne. Kada a faɗa!" ya yi dariya.

Marabinsa na lokacin Scott Parker ya ƙi barin wannan rashin sa'a ya taɓarɓare rayuwarsa. A taron nazari na Litinin, Parker ya ɗauke hankalinsa daga ƙwallayen gida gaba ɗaya ya nuna wa Esteve gudunmawarsa mai kyau a cikin duk lokacin wasan. "Ya ce mini, 'Max, wannan babu komai. Babu komai da gaske.' A maimakon haka, ya nuna mini abubuwan kyau da na yi a wasan. Don amincewar kaina ne kawai, ya yi amfani. Munanan tunani ne a gare ni a lokacin, amma wannan shi ne ƙwallon ƙafa."

Haaland — mafi kyawun ɗan wasa mai cin ƙwallo a duniya

Kafin gasan da ta yiwu, Esteve bai yi jinkiri ba wajen kimanta Haaland. Ko da yake ya yarda cewa Harry Kane ya samu lambar yabo ta Ballon d'Or kwanan nan, ya jaddada cewa babu wani ɗan wasa mai cin ƙwallo a duniya da zai iya kwatanta da ɗan wasan Manchester City. "Mafi kyawun ɗan wasa mai cin ƙwallo da na buga wasa tare da shi", in ji shi a sarari.

"Na buga wasanni biyu ne kawai a kansa, amma kana iya ganin cewa shi ne, a ra'ayina, wataƙila mafi kyawun ɗan wasa mai cin ƙwallo a duniya. Shekaru da shekaru, ina tsammanin zai ci gaba da kasancewa a wannan matsayin. Yana da ƙarfi sosai, yana da kyau sosai a kai, yana da sauri sosai. Duk ingancin da ya kamata ya zama dabba."

Tsayar da Haaland wata matsala ce ta dabaru da ba ta samun sauƙin warwarewa. Esteve ya bayyana rikicin yin kusa da yawa — wanda ke sa a fallasa kanku ga mirginalin a ƙananan sarari — da haɗarin janye baya da gayyatar wadancan manyan kararrawar matakin ƙarshe. "A kowane lokaci dole ne ka mai da hankali 100 cikin ɗari saboda ka sani cewa a cikin dakika ɗaya zai iya cin ƙwallo."

Abin da ya sa Haaland ya yi wuyan tsayarwa musamman, Esteve ya bayyana, shine ƙarfinsa na daidaitawa. "Yana daidaita wasansa da abokin hamayyarsa da zai buga. Bai taɓa ƙwallon sosai ba yayin wasan. Ba shi da aiki sosai da ƙwallo. Amma a kowane lokaci dole ne ka kasance mai hankali."

Kare da dogaro da ƙananan cikakkun bayanai

Shirye-shiryen Esteve sun wuce gaba da kallon bidiyo na halayen harbi na ɗan wasa mai cin ƙwallo. Yana mai da hankali sosai ga gudu na abokansa na gasa, yana amfani da wannan bayanan don daidaita yadda ya kamata layin tsarolinsa ya tsaya. "Yana taimaka wa amincewa da kai don cewa, to, wannan mutumin yana gudu a kilomita 36 a sa'a ko yana gudu a kilomita 34? Wannan yana da muhimmanci sosai saboda wataƙila kana buƙatar sarrafa layin kaɗan sama. Ƙananan cikakkun bayanai ne."

Wannan tsarin nazari game da wasan wataƙila yana bin horarwa da masu horarwa da suka tsara shi. A Burnley, ya yi aiki a ƙarƙashin Vincent Kompany — yanzu yana jagorancin Bayern Munich — kafin ya koma Leipzig, inda Martin Demichelis, tsohon ɗan wasan tsaro na Manchester City, ke jagorantar ƙungiyar. Esteve ya jawo layi a sarari tsakanin hanyoyin maza biyu.

"Ba mu buga irin wasan ƙwallon ƙafa ɗaya ba, amma dangane da makamashi, lokaci, aiki, da ƙwararru, zan ce sun yi kama sosai. Game da tarurruka, su masu kamalar komai ne gaske. Suna zuwa da wuri kuma suna tafiya da marigayi sosai."

Daidaituwa a Leipzig

Rayuwa a Jamus ta dace da Esteve sosai. Kayan aiki, abinci, da ƙa'idodin tsari na RB Leipzig duk sun burge shi, kuma al'adun tsarin lokaci — "Ba su yarda kowa ya yi jinkiri!" — ya sauƙaƙa karɓa. Burin kulob ɗin kuma ya ɗaga ma'aunarsa bayan kakar ficewa da Burnley.

"Manufar nan ita ce samun cancantar shiga Champions League kowace kakar", in ji shi. Amma yanzu, burinsa na nan da nan kawai shine buga wasanni a gasar. "Idan na samu wannan damar buga wasa, zan kasance mafi farin ciki a duniya, da gaskiya, saboda kana son cimma mafarkin yara."

Esteve yana da haƙuri game da matsayinsa a cikin ƙungiyar, yana fahimtar cewa gasa ta wuraren farawa na ƙaruwa yayin da kulob ɗin ke girma. "Lokacin da ka zo kulob ɗin mafi girma, akwai gasa mafi yawa a matsayinka kuma na fahimci hakan gaba ɗaya. Dole ne kawai in jira lokatina." A kan Manchester City, wannan lokacin na iya ƙarshe zuwa — ko da yake yana fata zai tabbatar da kiyaye ƙwallon nesa da ragarsa kanta a wannan karon.