Seville derby, the best I played in: Kanoute

“I played many derbies when I was in England. I played at West Ham and Tottenham, so I played against a lot of teams from London. I thought these derbies were the best in the world until I arrived in Seville, where I really discovered what a derby meant,” said the 41-year-old.

The last time these two teams met in September last year, Real Betis defeated Sevilla 1-0. It will be keen on doing a double on its fierce rival in a match where it can expect hostile reception from the Sevilla fans. “For me, the Seville derby was the best and I feel blessed to have played in it for seven years,” added Kanoute.

Elaborating on what made the derby so special, Kanoute explained, “It was such an intense atmosphere. Everything is built up to the game. The two groups of supporters are unbelievable,” said the former Mali player.

Recalling his first experience of playing in the Seville derby, Kanoute said, “I didn’t know what to expect. I treated it as just another derby, but the people made me realise it was much more than that. I remember we attended a camp five days before that game which was quite unusual. On our way to the stadium, we were stopped by a huge gathering of fans, who were willing us on to win. When I arrived at the stadium, it was packed and the icing on the cake was we ended up winning.”