Patson Daka’s first year as a Fox
On 30th July 2021, English Premier League side, Leicester City signed Chipolopolo Boys forward Patson Daka on a five year deal.
The Zambian international joined the Foxes from RB Salzburg, where his goals helped the Austrian side to four successive league titles and a total of seven trophies in four seasons.
The striker scored 68 times in 125 appearances for RB Salzburg in all competitions.
His 27 strikes in only 28 appearances saw him finish as the Austrian Bundesliga’s top scorer as well as being named the league’s Player of the Season.
Fast forward today, Daka has been in Leicestershire for 365+ days and the ZamFoot Crew now looks at his first year with the Foxes.
FIRST TRAINING SESSION
Daka attended his first training session on July 16th at the Seagrave Training Ground linking up with teammates for the first time after completing his mandatory isolation period.
FIRST GAME
The pacy forward made his first appearance for the Foxes on 24th July as he lined up alongside Maswanhise in attack against Burton Albion in a club friendly match.
Daka played the first 45 minutes as the Foxes suffered a 3-1 loss on post match spot kicks following a goalless draw in regulation time.
FIRST GOAL
Daka scored his first goal in Leicester City colours on 31st, July, 2021 as the Foxes played out to an entertaining 3-3 draw with Queens Park Rangers in their third pre-season game.
Daka did well to beat the offside trap before keeping his cool and slotting the ball past the goalkeeper.
First silverware
On 7th August, Daka won his first silverware in England as Leicester City edged English Premier League Champions, Manchester City 1-0 at Wembley Stadium to lift their second FA Community Shield.
The Chipolopolo forward came from the bench to replace Jamie Vardy in the 70th minute and put in a very good shift for the Foxes.
EPL HISTORY
The Zambia national team forward made history on Saturday, 16th October, 2021 when he became the first Zambian to ever score in the English Premier League when he scored the fourth goal in Leicester’s 4-2 win over Manchester United.
The goal was his first Competitive goal in Leicester City colors and the Zambian forward was over the moon saying it was a dream come true.
“It meant so much to me for my confidence, and it’s something that I’ve been looking forward to,” Daka told LCFC TV.
“It still feels like a dream, and I don’t want to wake up! I’m just so excited and happy that I got to open my scoring account with this club, and I look forward many more.”
“I was just praying that I shouldn’t make any mistake because it’s so crazy. I had to concentrate fully and I managed to score, which was very important,” he added.
UEFA Europa League history
Four days after scoring in the English Premier League, Daka scored four goals as Leceister City came from two goals down to beat Russian Side, Spartak Moscow 4-3 in the Europa League
The 23-year-old striker grabbed his first three goals within a space of 9 minutes before registering his fourth in the 78 minutes to become the first Zambian international to score a hat-trick in men’s UEFA club competition, excluding qualifiers.
The hat-trick meant Daka became the first man to net three goals in a single game for Leicester City on the European stage.
The fourth goal meant Daka became the first City player to score four goals in a single game since Derek Hines in a 6-3 victory over Aston Villa in November 1958.
UEFA later confirmed that Daka’s hat-trick was the fastest in the history of the Competition.
The Zambian international scored eleven goals and made four assists in 38 appearances in all competitions for the Foxes.