Coventry City hit the jackpot with £4m African football icon - He shone for Sky Blues with meat in his boots | OneFootball

Coventry City supporters got to witness a world superstar perform for their club

Coventry City supporters will always remember the name Mustapha Hadji fondly.

The Sky Blues have been a club on the rise in recent years and have looked like it’s only a matter of time before they operate out of the Premier League once more.

There has been play-off heartbreak, FA Cup semi-final drama and managerial changes, but Coventry look to be in a brilliant place as a club and an outfit that supporters can be proud of cheering on weekly.

That hasn’t always been the case over the past two decades, as a number of complications have forced the Sky Blues to groundshare, suffer relegations and genuinely ponder whether their club had the means for a long-term existence.

Not too long ago, Coventry were operating out of the Premier League. In 1999, they had just finished 15th in the Premier League and were looking to build on that in the transfer market.

Impressive additions came in, such as Robbie Keane, Carlton Palmer and Stefano Gioacchini, all with a view of helping Gordon Strachan’s side push up the table and compete further towards the European places.

There was one key addition Coventry made that summer that stands out in particular and is still remembered extremely fondly at the CBS Arena.

Mustapha Hadji used alternative methods to perform for Coventry City

Alongside those aforementioned names, Coventry struck a £4m deal for Deportivo La Coruna attacking midfielder Mustapha Hadji.

Instantly, his quality was apparent, with his technical ability making him an instant fan favourite with those at Highfield Road.

The Moroccan international was known as “The Detonator” in his home country, which paid tribute to the explosive impact he enjoyed on the pitch, whilst then-Coventry president Bryan Richardson described Hadji as "the most exciting signing in our history".

Throughout his time with the Sky Blues, he quickly emerged as one of their most important players, relied upon regularly to snatch points. He famously netted late on in the West Midlands Derby against Aston Villa to rescue a draw for Coventry, heroics he would produce more often than not.

A nasty foot injury almost prevented him from playing for Coventry in August 1999, but Hadji had an alternative method to get around the problem.

The playmaker decided to strap a piece of raw meat to his foot when he refused to accept injections into the area. An old Frenchman had given him the remedy during the 1998 World Cup, and Hadji played a number of games like this in 1999.

Panic ensued when Coventry arrived for a game at Tottenham Hotspur without any meat for his foot, and a late request was put into the White Hart Lane kitchens to address the issue. However, with none available, a member of the Sky Blues’ staff was forced to go to a local butcher and buy the meat there.

Hadji kept up his brilliant performances from 1999 to 2001, even with meat in his boot at times, leading Coventry forward in the midst of a relegation battle in his final season. One of his finest moments came when he netted a first-half brace at Villa Park on a day when the Sky Blues needed to win to avoid relegation.

Despite his brilliant showing, Coventry suffered the drop and Hadji would be signed by Villa that summer for £2.5m.

Mustapha Hadji’s quality has rarely been seen at Coventry City since his exit

Following Coventry’s relegation from the Premier League in 2001, they haven’t returned to the division, which means that they have lacked the necessary means to attract talents such as Hadji to the club.

The Moroccan scored 12 goals in 62 appearances for the Sky Blues, but he is remembered more for his wonderful technique and talismanic nature.

In 1998, Hadji was named African Player of the Year, which highlights just how big a signing Coventry made. Although they only got to experience him for two seasons, the Sky Blues’ faithful got to witness one of the Premier League’s highest-quality performers play for their club.

Fans of Coventry haven’t been able to boast a similar privilege since, but their eagerly anticipated wait for a return to top-flight football may not go on too much longer.