The France international has had a stellar start to his career in England
Hugo Ekitike with staff at Il Capitanos
Hugo Ekitike with owner Jay Wilson (right) and Jay's fiancee Eve (left) at Il Capitanos
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Hugo Ekitike paid a visit to a Waterloo restaurant recently as he explored the Merseyside region. The forward signed for Liverpool FC in the summer and has made quite the impression on the pitch since agreeing a long-term contract to seal a transfer from Eintracht Frankfurt.
The France international has scored 10 goals for the Reds in only 23 appearances, also registering one assist. On three occasions when Ekitike found the back of the net, they proved to be important winning goals. Back-to-back doubles against Leeds United and Brighton has seen Ekitike shine as one of the most on-form strikers in Europe.
Away from the pitch, Ekitike is still settling into new surroundings and discovering the city. England is the fourth country that the 23-year-old has called home. As part of Liverpool FC's All Red feature, the striker was shown what Waterloo and nearby Crosby had to offer.
He visited an award-winning neighbourhood pizzeria and fresh pasta kitchen, located on Crosby Road North. A picture of the footballer was shared by the official Il Capitano's Instagram account today, December 17.
The caption of the post said: "So we recently had the pleasure of hosting Liverpool FC star and man of the moment Hugo Ekitike right here with us.
"The newly capped France international was in the area for an interview with LFC TV, now live on All Red Video. It was a real honour to welcome Hugo and the crew into the restaurant - an absolute gentleman who happily stopped for photos with our team and local families before and after the interview."
Other famous faces have visited the restaurant recently too, including comedian John May. Last month John enjoyed food at the establishment after a screening of his new documentary in the Plaza cinema.
The restaurant, which has both indoor and outdoor dining areas, has a marine theme, reflecting the maritime histories of Liverpool and Naples.
Neighbours Jay Wilson and Florentin 'Florrie' Stefan, opened the popular restaurant in September 2019, and have since used the restaurant to give the area an authentic taste of Naples.
The menu includes traditional Italian starters, Neapolitan pizza, fresh pasta, Italian desserts, spritzes, wine and beer.
Supporters were delighted to see the on-form player enjoying his time on Merseyside. One fan commented on X: "class", alongside a red heart emoji. Another supporter said "Boss! Love this guys." Others responded with a clapping emoji and a fire emoji.
Speaking on the new All Red video, Ekitike spoke about his life since joining Liverpool.
He said: "My life changed completely since I signed here, I'm even more famous in my country. Also the level of the games I play. It's just a different life.
"How people see me, I feel like a lot of people know me. I like the side that people recognise that you're good at football, people like what you do on the pitch. But I like kind of being calm outside.
"I would just love to do every random thing outside. That's how I see life."
Find out more about Il Capitanos here.