Southampton midfielder Shea Charles is relishing Saturday's FA Cup semi-final against his former club Manchester City, believing that after knocking out Arsenal, his team can beat anyone. The 22-year-old scored the decisive goal in the quarter-final victory over Arsenal, sparking a viral celebration that has been viewed millions of times on social media.
Viral celebration and FA Cup dream
In the aftermath of Southampton's win against Arsenal, Charles glanced at a TV camera with a playful expression, creating an internet meme. 'I just looked at the camera as if I was looking at my mates down the lens,' he says. 'I've seen it's gone all over.' The Championship side now return to Wembley 50 years after winning the Cup under Lawrie McMenemy.
Facing Manchester City
Charles joined City at age seven and left three years ago for Southampton in a £15m deal. He grew up in Flixton, near Manchester, and idolised Vincent Kompany. 'His kind of era at City was my childhood; him and Yaya Touré were my favourite players,' Charles recalls. He also remembers meeting Kompany on a tour of City's training ground as a young academy player.
One of Charles's final acts for City was a captain's speech after retaining the Premier League 2 title, a month before Pep Guardiola gave him his Premier League debut. 'I came on around the 63rd minute,' he says. 'He [Guardiola] said: 'You know how good you are, just go and do what you do in training.''
Development and leadership
Charles credits his loan at Sheffield Wednesday last season, where he won player of the season, for his development. 'I feel like my time at Wednesday really helped me come into my own,' he says. Playing for Northern Ireland has also given him a leadership role. 'If we go behind in a game, I like to think that I'm a cool head that people can turn to as a leader.'
Southampton are on a 20-game unbeaten run and have won eight of their past nine. 'We managed to do it against Arsenal, so we feel like we can do it against anyone,' Charles says. 'We know we're up against probably the best team in the country right now, so it's another exciting challenge.'
