James Ward-Prowse can elevate West Ham United as Lionel Messi statistic emerges
West Ham had a major problem on their hands in filling the role left by former midfield maestro and captain fantastic Declan Rice.
The Hammers icon left the club earlier this summer to join Premier League rivals, with his former club taking their time to find an ideal replacement.
And they may have found two, with both Edson Alvarez and James Ward-Prowse joining the East London club this month.
The latter is the most recent addition, joining from newly-relegated Southampton on a four-year deal, as per the official West Ham website (14 August).
The midfield ace will be a key player under David Moyes this season, with the 28-year-old’s stunning set-piece ability undoubtedly part of the reason why he has been snapped up.
The England international’s corners will be crucial in setting up chances for the likes of Kurt Zouma, Nayef Aguerd and Tomas Soucek, while he may be trusted to convert from the penalty spot at times throughout the season, particularly if regular penalty taker Said Benrahma is not available.
But it is unquestionably Ward-Prowse’s free-kick ability that is most effective, with the new Hammers man doing his best to keep up with the likes of global superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in this regard.
“His exemplary fitness and professionalism have been clear throughout his career but his ability from dead-ball situations has shone through just as much,” according to the official West Ham website (14 August).
“Ridiculously, despite Ward-Prowse only being eleven years old at the time of Lionel Messi’s debut, only Messi himself (41) and Cristiano Ronaldo (31) have scored more free-kicks than Ward-Prowse (17) in that period.”
West Ham supporters will be excited to see their new man in action, and they will be licking their lips if and when their team are awarded a free-kick within shooting distance with Ward-Prowse on the pitch.
It is, of course, very fitting that the midfield star will don the number seven jersey in claret and blue, having grown up watching his idol and free-kick specialist David Beckham wear the same number, as he told the official West Ham website (15 August).
In other West Ham news, a BBC pundit was wowed by one Hammers ace in the 1-1 draw with Bournemouth on Saturday (12 August).