Gjanni Alioski has opened up on his pre-match 'Gjanni Cam' exploits - explaining what goes through his head when he appears on Leeds United's social media channels and why enjoying himself is key to his career.
The North Macedonia international has emerged as something of a cult hero at Elland Road since his arrival in the summer of 2017, and has played a key part in the club's revolution under Marcelo Bielsa in the Championship .
Part of his popularity comes from a multitude of short videos published by the club's online feeds, often captioned "Gjanni Cam", featuring the 27-year-old's often mischievous personality at the forefront.
Peppa Pig #GjanniCam pic.twitter.com/rjuRgVZC06
— Leeds United (@LUFC) September 28, 2019
Speaking ahead of the 4-0 win over Middlesbrough and at the end of a week where he made his return to action from injury in the win over Reading, Alioski opened up on his social media popularity, noting that it was not something he pre-planned ahead of being captured on film.
"I’m not thinking what I do," he stated. "It sometimes comes from my head.
"I’m someone that [likes] to be in a good mood, to joke, I know when to be serious when you go in the dressing room.
"[It's] sometimes OK to be serious but always to be serious is not good. You need to enjoy the life, you need to have fun because it’s not easy always to do the travel, to play football, work, everything in training and to not smile.
"So [I] never forget to smile and always stay in a good mood even if I am not always!"
Alioski made his second substitute appearance of the week on Saturday when he played the final 14 minutes of Leeds' 4-0 thumping of Middlesbrough on Saturday as the Whites returned to the top of the table.
Visit our dedicated Leeds United page for the latest news, views and analysis from Elland Road.
