Though Eric Dier was happy to make his Bayern Munich debut in Wednesday night’s 1-0 victory over Union Berlin, his post-match antics have garnered just as much notice as his on-field exploits.
At the Allianz Arena, the England international replaced Dayot Upamecano at halftime, and he helped his team earn a crucial three points and maintain a clean sheet.
Thomas Tuchel’s team closed the gap on Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen to four points with the game’s lone goal, scored by Raphael Guerreiro.
Dier had post-match media responsibilities to attend to, and it seems that, in the few days since leaving Tottenham on loan, he has already taken on the accent of the area.
Dier has displayed a slight German accent, evoking memories of Steve McClaren’s time as manager of FC Twente when he adopted a Dutch accent and Joey Barton’s time at Marseille when he adopted a slight French accent.
“Making my debut for this club is a very proud moment for me and my family,” Dier expressed to Sky Sports.
It goes without saying that I had a great time performing here, and I’m glad I made my debut at this stadium—it’s even nicer. I’m hoping I can keep supporting the group.
Barton posted the following on social media in 2012 after producing his French accent: “Work to do on the accent, big man.”
Online, Harry Kane offered extra encouragement. The captain of England wrote: “Great to get back on track!” Congratulations on your debut, Eric Dier.
The new Bayern player remarked, “Obviously it’s a pleasure to play with him. I think the first time we played together was England Under-19s or 20s, so we played together for a very long time.” This was his old friend, and he was happy to be playing again.
It’s fun to play with him and to work with him every day. I believe that our working styles are similar, so it’s enjoyable to get to spend time with him every day, watch him work, pick his brain, and collaborate. We’ve ended up back together, something nobody could have predicted, but I’m incredibly glad about it.
Regarding the impact Kane had on Dier’s decision to move to Bavaria, the defender said to ESPN: “It’s obvious that people like to draw this comparison, but Harry and I didn’t really talk about it.” We obviously spoke more after I knew how serious it was and how likely it was.
We didn’t really talk about it too much until I understood it was serious, but he would say the same thing. Before that, I was watching Bayern a lot because of him. We talked about it in the days before I left for this place since I didn’t want to jinx anything, and he’s been really helpful in helping me settle in.
“Having someone you know so well is very nice.” I’m fortunate to have arrived later and have that somebody who can hold my hand because he didn’t have that when he first arrived.