Dundee United’s first summer signing Zac Sapsford has revealed how he missed out on a signed Bukayo Saka jersey when his bottle crashed – literally.
The Australian forward arrives at Tannadice with a hidden skill, and it caught the eye of ex-Chelsea, Manchester United and Spain superstar Juan Mata, a teammate at Western Sydney Wanderers last season.
Sapsford, 22, has a talent for bottle flipping and, after showcasing the ability over lunch during an away trip, Mata challenged the youngster to land THIRTY in a row in return for a shirt of his choice.
Sapsford opted for Arsenal ace Saka – and came agonisingly close.
Instead, he was tasked with weeks on the coffee run.
“I’m pretty good at bottle flipping,” he told the Row Z FC podcast.
“We were at a hotel and had just finished dinner and I was doing some bottle flips. Juan said, “wow, you are really good at that”. Then he told me that if I got 30 in a row, he’d get me whatever jersey I want.
“I said, “make it a signed [Bukayo] Saka jersey, and I’ll do it”. So, I started, and the whole team was watching. It’s getting very pressurised. I had like 28 in a row and flipped it up…then it fell.
“Everyone was all around me – even the coaches – and it was not good. I was that close.
“Instead, my punishment was to get him seven coffees whenever he wanted!”
Mata rapport
Nevertheless, the tale speaks to the rapport shared by the erstwhile teammates; two men at the opposite end of their career journeys.
Mata, 35, boasts a World Cup, two European Championship and a Champions League among an astonishing haul of medals and Sapsford readily admits that the mercurial midfielder is TOO GOOD to learn from.
However, his influence was still tangible.
“On the pitch, there’s not much to learn from Juan – because he’s too good,” he continued. “You can’t really take too much from him because you look at some of the things he does and say, “I’ll never be able to do that”.
“But off the pitch, he is an amazing person and the bits of advice he gave me in different scenarios was invaluable.
“Whether it’s reacting to coming off or being annoyed at being benched one week; he’d tell me how he went through those things at top-level clubs.
“Those types of things helped me through the season, and to have someone like that somewhat mentoring you was a cool thing.”
What can United fans expect?
Sapsford has penned a three-year deal with the Tangerines and, along with Moldova international Iurie Iuvo, represents the first pieces of Jim Goodwin’s summer rebuild at Tannadice.
And he told United fans what to expect.
Asked what attributes he would bring to the Scottish game, Sapsford said: “I’d say my link-up play.
“I like to drive with the ball if I get the chance; I’m really good at that. And although I’m not super tall, I like to win most of my aerial duels. Goalscoring and assists, too. I like to set players up and find the killer pass.
“I’ll never stop running and I love putting all my energy out there. I’ll never come off the pitch feeling like I haven’t given everything.”
Ready for anything
Sapsford, who still harbours a dream of making the Australia World Cup squad next summer, added: “What I am expecting (in Scotland) is a lot of physicality.
“I’m happy with that. I like a bit of contact in games. That’s what football is for and I’m ready for anything.”
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