Soccer players are human beings like any others. They often use their phones and far from being nomophobic, they use them to connect to social networks. Guinea's Saïdou Sow is one of them. He explains how and why he uses them.
Social networks have become a must for the whole world, including athletes. It's a way for them to connect with the world, with their fans... Saïdou Sow talks about his attraction to these networks. The Guinea international defender reveals how he uses them. "I follow quite a variety of accounts, not just soccer ones, which allows me to keep abreast of all the latest news. For example, I've been posting about the situation in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo recently. But otherwise, I'm on social networks to keep up with my friends, my teammates, manga, music... To see funny videos too! I also follow athletes like basketball player LaMelo Ball or Cristiano Ronaldo and my role model Thiago Silva. It allows me to observe what they do in their everyday lives, how they recover, and try to imitate them," he tells the Ligue 1 website.
However, Saïdou Sow is not a social networking addict. His daily screen time is limited."I don't spend a huge amount of time on the networks, but it must still represent an hour a day, maybe even two, I'm not going to lie (smile)! Let's just say I'll spend a good half-hour on the networks in the morning, and I'll go back to them for a while in the late afternoon or evening. But I'd rather watch a good series than be on my phone. At the moment, I'm rewatching the whole of Game of Thrones, which I think is the best series ever!
His presentation video won him over
Social networks are also a great place for clubs to express themselves. As proof, they look for every possible way to please their fans when presenting new recruits. Saïdou Sow, for example, received a nice video when he signed for Strasbourg."Yes, the club did a great job!When I arrived in Strasbourg, they introduced me to the concept and explained everything to me. They asked me if I had any ideas, but there was nothing to add - everything was already perfectly organized. Did I need several takes? No, I'm a born actor, I'm talented (laughs). No, we went over it 2-3 times at one point, but it went really well," admits the 21-year-old defender.
The negative in the garbage can
Nevertheless, the other side of the coin can be very hurtful for everyone, especially for the players. Fans can attack them if they perform badly. Does Saïdou Sow look at these negative comments? The answer is categorical."Never! I've never operated like that, because I don't think it serves any purpose. There are too many negative comments, and the people who criticize you after one match are the same ones who will congratulate you after the next... It doesn't make sense."
