Kim Jong-un is a Manchester United fan and hopes North Korean players will soon be making waves in the Premier League, an Italian Senator has said.
Antonio Razzi claims to regularly speak with the North Korean dictator, including about the beautiful game.
Kim is particularly pleased to have a NorthKorean, Han Kwang-song, playing in the Italian second tier for Perugia - and believes his players will grace football's most competitive league some time soon, according to Daily Mail.
Razzi revealed the detail in an interview with The Sun.
He said Kim never misses a major football tournament, having become obsessed with the game while studying in San Siro, Switzerland, as a young man.
Manchester United's Romelu Lukaku celebrates scoring against West Ham. Photo / AP
However, he said Kim does not compare himself to any United heroes of yesteryear because "Kim is Kim - he is the only one."
It was first reported two years ago that Kim had a fondness for the Red Devils, who were at the time struggling under the stewardship of Louis Van Gaal.
Monitoring groups confirmed to Mail Online that Premier League football is regularly shown on KCNA - the country's state-run television channel.
Other major tournaments such as the Euros and World Cup are also thought to be shown, but footage often appears several days after the game has been played.
The footage is also heavily edited to remove many of the crowd shots, and all of the advertising because the regime does not want to promote western life or products.
It is not known where North Korea acquires the footage as it has no broadcast deal with the Premier League.
