MIDDLESBROUGH goalie Victor Valdes has revealed that his children have developed a Northern accent.

The Spaniard surprised Key Stage Three pupils from Egglescliffe School at MFC Foundation’s ‘Shoot For Success’ modern foreign languages event at the Riverside Stadium.

The former Barcelona stopper used his linguistic skills to help teach the students about his home town, while answering questions about his own experiences of learning a new language.

On learning English and understanding different accents, Valdes said: “Some guys in the team have asked me whether I had English lessons before I came to Middlesbrough.

“I told them that I like watching my favourite movies back again but in English, and put on subtitles in Spanish, so maybe that’s the reason I had a good level of English before I came here.

“When I moved here and my children have gone to school and studied English, I am very proud when they speak in English with their friends they have a Northern accent. I like it very much."

He presented the students with certificates of participation and signed autographs and took pictures with the delighted class.

Egglescliffe pupil Joe Harston, 13, said: “Victor seemed a really nice guy, and it was great to see someone who doesn’t have English as a first language who now can speak fluent English.

“It gives us no excuse for us to not learn languages at school."

“It was crazy seeing him and meeting him in person after seeing him out on the pitch in matches.

MFC Foundation’s Education Coordinator Ruth Watson said of the event: For them, that’s something they’ll remember right the way through their life, so hopefully we’ve made languages an important thing for them and something they can now see a fun as well as interesting.”