Sunderland’s match-winner reflected on a huge week after Fulham, with a family dedication and a cheeky Newcastle United reference
Wilson Isidor celebrated Sunderland’s win over Fulham by dedicating his goal to daughter Shailyn before delivering a message that will not have gone unnoticed on Tyneside.
The striker struck the winner at the Stadium of Light after coming off the bench, capping an important week in which he also signed a new contract and discovered Sunderland’s Europa League opponents. Asked afterwards about the sequence of events, Isidor made clear what mattered most.
“Yeah, it's an important week for me. Yesterday was the birthday of my daughter, so that's what mattered the most for me,” he said. “I dedicate this goal to her. I'm really happy about this. And yeah, the draw in the Europa League, that's fantastic. Now we're going to see some Mackems in Milan, so very happy about it.”
The reference to “Mackems in Milan” carried an obvious extra edge given Newcastle United’s recent association with the city through Champions League trips and subsequent chants aimed at Black Cats supporters, and Isidor was enjoying Sunderland’s own return to European competition. The Frenchman also revealed that playing at San Siro will fulfil a childhood ambition. Sunderland are due there on December 10, a date Isidor already has circled on the calendar.
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“And from a personal point, I visited the stadium of San Siro when I was really young, and I keep saying to some of my friends that one day I'm going to play here. So I know that the 10th of December is going to be a day that I put in my books to be there and ready for that game.”
Asked why the game against AC Milan means so much to him, Isidor replied: “Because it's a big club, and also San Siro is a mythic place. And as a young guy, when you go there only for a visit, and you see all those trophies, all that big stadium, you say, "Wow, one day I want to play here. I want to play on that pitch." So, really happy that we drew them, and I hope that I'm going to be on the pitch on the 10th of December.”
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