MIDDLESBROUGH boss Kim Hellberg revealed Coventry City head coach Frank Lampard as his favourite player to watch growing up.
Hellberg faces Lampard for the first time as a manager when Coventry go head-to-head with Boro in a top-of-the-table clash at the Coventry Building Society Arena.
The Swede has guided Boro to six straight wins which has seen the Teessiders overturn a 10-point gap to the Sky Blues at the Championship’s summit.
However, while the two teams are vying for promotion on the pitch, Hellberg revealed title rival Lampard as his idol when watching football in his homeland.
Hellberg said: “He was number one, he was my favourite player in English football.
“English football in Sweden is massive. Everyone has a team, you have to have a team.
“Frank was absolutely one of my favourite players. He was great.
“I was not as good as Frank but I was a centre midfielder at least!”
The Boro boss watched the reverse fixture between the two teams from the stands as the Sky Blues ran out 4-2 winners at the Riverside Stadium.
Helleberg took charge of the Riverside Stadium club following Boro’s defeat against Coventry back in November.
The Swede has since secured 10 wins from 15 matches to lead the Championship table by two points.
And Hellberg insists Boro will not adapt their game for the trip to Coventry with the Teessiders seeking to become just the second team to win at the CBS Arena this season.
Hellberg added: “I always believe in my team. We’re going to go there and try and take control of the game and play the way we want to play.
“We will go there and try to be ourselves, that’s always the first thing and that’s the most important thing.
“We know if we do that, we have a big chance of getting a result. I’m looking at how we train and prepare to play in a tough environment against a very good team.
“Every stadium I’m going to is new for me. England is an unbelievable footballing country.”
Coventry host Boro on Monday, February 16 with kick-off at 8pm at the CBS Arena.
