Saturday, 27th October, 2012
Stephane Mbia has revealed that English football is making greater physical demands on him than the French game.
The powerful Cameroonian joined QPR in the summer from Ligue 1 giants Marseille, where he was one of the most highly rated defenders in France.
But life in England and the fast and furious nature of the Premier League has caught the 26-year-old by surprise and he admits to trudging off the pitch after 90 minutes with any number of aches and pains.
The situation is completely unlike France, where Mbia would often finish some games having never even broken sweat.
"In my team some people have back ache, headaches because of the force with which they head the ball. I hallucinate", he told French sports daily L’Equipe.
"There are only duels and the super big attackers use their hands.
relatedNewsStory"You end up with a damaged jaw, fractures and I have bruises on my body.
"I’ve never had anything like that before. Sometimes I didn’t even sweat in France."
Mbia has so far only made three appearances in the Premier League with QPR, but already the stresses and strains of life in one of the world’s most competitive leagues is taking its toll.
