Stephy Mavididi: Leicester City winger on 'highs and lows' of journey to Foxes
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Mavididi 'enjoying every minute' at Leiester
Stephy Mavididi says he has found "the light at the end of the tunnel" at Leicester City, as he plays a starring role in trying to get the Foxes back to the Premier League.
The Derby-born and East London-raised winger scored twice in Monday's 3-2 win against Birmingham City to help move Leicester three points clear at the top of the Championship.
It took his tally to seven goals on his return to the English game, having left Arsenal for Italian giants Juventus in 2018 before going on to spend three seasons in France's top flight with Montpellier.
The 25-year-old shrugs and forces a smile when speaking about friends, family and team-mates who ask him about the journey he has taken to play for Leicester.
"In that journey I felt like there were more lows than highs, but no-one sees," Mavididi told BBC East Midlands Today.
Mavididi came through Arsenal's academy and earned England caps at several youth levels while with the Gunners, but never managed to make a first-team appearance in north London.
'More than a charmed life'
Loan moves to Charlton and Preston were followed by an eye-catching transfer to Juventus in the summer of 2018.
He would go on to make his solitary first-team appearance off the bench in their 2018-19 title winning season, slotting in alongside Argentine forward Paulo Dybala up front.
His time in Turin lasted two years - and included a stint out on loan in France with Dijon - before he went on to join Ligue 1 side Montpellier, where he scored 21 goals in 91 appearances.
All seemed great for Mavididi, as a rising English star forging a career abroad.
But it wasn't.
"Everyone just sees the charmed life, but it is really more than that," he said.
"For me personally I have been to some dark places being far away from home.
"For example I have a little brother and I basically missed all his teenage years growing up - it's little things like that, that can really take a toll on you.
"So you have to have a strong mentality and have the right people around you. And for me, I believe in God, so my faith has got me through the tough times."
That younger brother is Shaun, an 18-year-old forward on the books at Newcastle United.
Since Leicester brought Mavididi to the King Power Stadium he has seen more of his family, with his mum and sister "playing catch-up" by attending practically every match.
Stephy Mavididi (front right) was signed by Leicester for about £6m from Montpellier in the summer
And with him being ever present in the league so far for the Championship pacesetters, they have had plenty to enjoy with Mavididi creating four goals to go with the seven he has scored.
"For me the dark times have made me 10 times stronger," Mavididi added.
"My advice to young kids on the journey and who go through dark times is that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, it doesn't stay dark forever.
"You just have to find that light and when you get a glimpse of that light just go for it. Literally with everything you can, go for it because the other side is brighter, trust me."
At Leicester, Mavididi is lighting it up with his performances - with his daring runs, trickery and clever movement on the wing quickly become a defining attribute of the high-flying Foxes under boss Enzo Maresca.
Mavididi says the Italian has him playing a brand of football - adopted by the Foxes faithful as Maresca-ball - that is both exciting and eye-opening.
"He has made me look at football in a different light, one that I didn't know you could," Mavididi said.
"In terms of how we can play football, it might seem daft but there are so many different ways that I wasn't even aware of.
"He's got so many ideas and I just feel that he is still cooking and that there is a lot more to come from us as a collective.
"We are playing some good football and he has made his ideas clear on how we want to play.
"He is trying to create an identity, which is good and we are just enjoying it."