Levi Colwill: How Lego helped me get through difficult time at Chelsea

Times

6 days ago

Last season did not go perfectly to plan for Levi Colwill. Pre-season under Mauricio Pochettino made it clear that he would have a key role to play after his successful loan at Brighton & Hove Albion, presenting a chance to seize the moment, establish a foothold in the first team and bookmark a journey that began with the under-9s side at Chelsea.
But he struggled, playing at first out of position as a left back and then hindered by a toe injury that would, ultimately, end his season. He dropped out of the team in March and did not feature again in the league. It was in those moments, frustrated with his form and progress, that he began to seek solace in an unusual way: through Lego.
'It just takes your mind away from everything,' Colwill says. 'Last season, when I was struggling a little bit, I started doing it. I built the 'Home Alone' [house] with the movie playing in the background and time just flies. It was around Christmas time, so I got myself in the spirit. It's a big house. It took me weeks. The detail they go into is crazy.'
Colwill picked up the habit from TikTok, the social media app, and takes some stick from his team-mates for it: 'No one is really impressed with me building Lego.' He has built several sets, although all of them broke when he moved back to the family home in Southampton earlier this season. 'It's a heartbreaking subject,' he says, laughing. 'It just takes you back to when you're a kid in terms of there's no worries, there's no problems. You feel relaxed and in your comfort zone. That's why I enjoy it so much.
'Last season, when I had my toe injury and was trying to play, there was a lot happening on the pitch. I wasn't happy with how I was playing so I needed to take my mind off everything. That's what it did. It relaxed me and made me feel like stepping away from everything. That's what I needed at the time. It really helped me.'
Colwill admits to being a hard critic of his own performances. 'I'm really harsh on myself because I know how good I could be and I believe in myself,' he says. 'In football you get a lot of people who tell you, 'You weren't that bad', or, 'You were really good'. But you judge yourself on how you play. I know when I've been rubbish, I know when I've been good. That's the only way I can improve.
'In life you want people to be honest with you. It's the way you grow faster and, in football, how you become a man.'
He has kicked on. The 22-year-old has now become a mainstay at the heart of Chelsea's defence under Enzo Maresca, and he rounded off his strong campaign by scoring the winner against Nottingham Forest on Sunday, a moment that ensured the club would return to the Champions League. 'It didn't feel real,' he said of his goal. 'It will feel like a dream come true for all of our players who haven't played in the Champions League yet. But the best players deserve to play against the best players. I've got the best players in my team here.'
The season, though, is not yet done. There is the small matter of a European final. Chelsea take on Real Betis in the Conference League on Wednesday knowing they can cap a successful season with a trophy. While Conference League success does not carry much prestige, there is value in winning silverware. Chelsea's first success under Roman Abramovich's ownership was the League Cup, won 20 years ago, which ultimately became the first of 21 trophies. It was won by a group of players who, collectively, did not have much silverware behind them. It can be a foundation for more to follow. 'Definitely,' Colwill says. 'I only think the people outside our bubble underrate the competition. If we win that, it will give us the confidence and belief to hopefully win more trophies for the club.'
Colwill feels it can help his personal standing, too. 'It shows you have got it within you to push on,' he says. To win a trophy as an academy graduate means, among others, he will be following in the footsteps of former captain John Terry. 'It would mean everything to me,' he says. 'Similarly to John Terry, I've been Chelsea through and through. It would mean a lot to win a competition for the club. It's what I dreamt of as a kid and what many kids in the academy now will be doing.'
Maresca has talked up Colwill's leadership qualities in recent weeks, outlining that he is one of those who have improved in the dressing room. Could he be a future captain? 'You'd have to ask my team-mates,' he says. 'Of course, as an academy boy, to play for Chelsea is a dream first and foremost, and then to captain them is a whole different level. But we have Reece [James] as our captain right now and I am learning from him. That's the best thing about it because he's an amazing leader.'
What makes James a good leader? 'He's a very calm-headed person,' Colwill says. 'At times when I'm angry I can show my emotions a lot, which he wouldn't. He would be a leader, talk to the team, help the team. That's what we need at the moment, especially with a young squad. He's an amazing captain.'
Colwill says the importance of securing the first trophy of Chelsea's new era, under new ownership, has been conveyed to the players. 'It can be huge for all of us,' he says. 'To hopefully win and get it under our belt, then hopefully we can go on to win big competitions in the future.'
The best way to celebrate victory? Maybe a trip to Legoland next week. 'I'll be there,' he says.
Real Betis v Chelsea
Conference League final
Wednesday, 8pm
TV TNT Sports 1