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Sky Sports host Simon Thomas has mocked Bayern Munich newcomer Eric Dier for his ’embarrassing’ accent, after the defender spoke on German TV following his debut for the Bundesliga giants.
The 30-year-old, who is on loan from Tottenham until the end of the season, came off the bench at half-time of his side’s 1-0 victory over Union Berlin to make his first appearance for the club.
It was a successful first outing for the England international, who did not shy away from media duties after his first game wearing Bayern Munich’s famous colours.
Fans joked that Dier went ‘full Steve McLaren’ by speaking in a German accent – much like the Manchester United assistant spoke with a Dutch while he was manager of Twente.
Thomas, host of Soccer Saturday on Sky Sports, responded to a video of Dier’s interview, insisting that he spoke with a ‘terrible’ accent.
Simon Thomas (right) has mocked Eric Dier (left) for his ‘terrible accent’ during an interview on German TV after his debut for Bayern Munich
Dier – who is on loan with Bayern until the end of the season – came off the bench in a 1-0 win
He tweeted: ‘Absolutely magnificent. That embarrassingly common habit of thinking a terrible accent equals a valiant attempt at speaking another language.’
Fans though were quick to point out the England star’s bilingual talents in response to Thomas’ tweet.
Though Dier was born in Cheltenham, he grew up in Portugal and played for Sporting Lisbon before joining Tottenham in 2014.
One fan referred to Joey Barton, who famously spoke with a French accent in an interview when he was at Marseille.
Melissa Chappell commented: ‘In fairness he is multi lingual. This isn’t Joey Barton we’re talking about.’
One fan fired back: ‘He can speak English, Portuguese, Spanish and German. Can you??’
Niall McLaughlin commented: ‘He has always had this accent and he is multi lingual. Another great British habit to just constantly make fun of anyone and think your (sic) class.’
There were some who described Dier’s accent as nothing new.
Dier joined Bayern Munich less than two weeks on loan – reuniting with ex-Spurs team-mate Harry Kane
Fans were quick to point out that Dier – who grew up in Portugal and is pictured playing for Sporting Lisbon – has bilingual talents
Tom Challinor commented: ‘He grew up in Portugal, Simon. This is his normal voice,’ while another said it was how he has ‘always sounded’.
Dier had a positive relationship with Jose Mourinho during the manager’s time at Tottenham, and another fan mentioned the defender spoke Portuguese to the legendary boss in the club’s All or Nothing documentary on Amazon Prime.
The 30-year-old in his interview after the game, told Sky Sports: ‘It was] a very proud moment for me obviously to make my debut for this club. It’s a very proud moment for me and my family and obviously I really enjoyed it.
Dier came on at half-time to help Bayern Munich to a hard-fought victory on Wednesday night
Dier’s interview drew comparisons of Steve McLaren (left) speaking in a Dutch accent
‘I really enjoy playing here and I’m happy to have made my debut here at this stadium. So I’m really happy with how I’ve settled and obviously to make my debut and hopefully I can continue to help my team.’
Other fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to jest that Dier had only been in Germany for a short period and had already picked up an accent.
‘He’s been there 3 mins 47 secs and he’s already got a German accent,’ one wrote.
Another added: ‘Does Eric Dier always talk that way or is he the next victim of the German accent syndrome.’
‘He went full Steve McClaren… you never go full Steve McClaren!’
‘Fair play to him. Nailed the language after a week!’ one said.
Sophie Anderson, a UK-based writer, is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
