Chelsea wonderkid Reggie Walsh, 16, goes head-to-head with Luka Modric, 39, just days before getting GCSE results
BOY WONDER Chelsea wonderkid Reggie Walsh, 16, goes head-to-head with Luka Modric, 39, just days before getting GCSE results
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
REGGIE WALSH is the latest young superstar to have emerged from the Chelsea academy - and he went toe-to-toe with a legend on Sunday.
Born in October 2008, the midfielder made his debut for the Blues in the Conference League semi-final first leg against Djurgardens last season.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
4
Reggie Walsh featured for Chelsea against AC Milan in a friendly on Sunday
Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
4
Walsh played against the likes of Luka Modric
Credit: Getty
He came off the bench late in the clash for a two-minute cameo, becoming the third-youngest Chelsea first-team player ever behind Ian Hamilton and Kingsley Whiffen.
Walsh then became the club's youngest-ever European starter the following week in the second leg.
He was named in the line-up alongside the likes of Reece James, Jadon Sancho and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall at Stamford Bridge.
The 16-year-old was preparing for his GCSEs when he made his full debut.
At the time, head coach Enzo Maresca said: "His talent is very good. Technique is fantastic. I really like him. Between the lines is good, you can see immediately he has something.
"For sure at 17, 18, he needs to work hard and continue. I like also the personality, he's worked with us during the season.
"He's not shy, he's asking for the ball, he's shouting and talking. I like it, he's a good player."
Walsh missed out on a place in Chelsea's travelling Club World Cup squad earlier this summer.
But he was handed some minutes during the club's final pre-season friendly against AC Milan on Sunday.
The teenager shared the pitch with Real Madrid icon and six-time Champions League winner Luka Modric, who is 23 years older than him, during the 4-1 win.
Chelsea star Jorgenson pranks team-mate on live TV after Bayer Leverkusen clash as even Cole Palmer won't take trophy
4
Walsh made his first start for the Blues in May
Credit: Getty
It came just 11 days before he is due to receive his GCSE results.
Due to his age, Walsh is currently unable to sign a professional contract.
He will likely pen his first pro deal when he turns 17 in October.
Walsh joined Chelsea at the age of seven and progressed through the age groups before making his first-team debut last season.
He spent much of the 2024-25 campaign playing for the Under-18s.
The midfielder scored four goals and provided two assists for the U18s last term.
He has also made 11 appearances for England at youth level.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
3 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Rangers warned over Plzen approach as Ibrox stars told 'we have to be ready for everything'
Russell Martin and his troops hold a 3-0 lead but go into the game off the back of more dropped points domestically Three goals to the good and just 90 minutes away from the Champions League play-offs, some Rangers players might be forgiven for thinking they are heading into the clash with Viktoria Plzen with the pressure off. Russell Martin insists they should think again. His team may have taken a huge step towards securing a multi-million pound final eliminator for European football's top tournament with their 3-0 win last week, but they stumbled two back domestically with yet another dismal display in Saturday's Dundee draw. And for that reason alone, the scrutiny on this new Light Blues line-up will be as intense as it has been at any stage this summer since Martin arrived looking to rip up the Ibrox playbook and install his own bold vision. 'No would be the word,' said the new Ibrox coach when asked if the pressure levels would be lower on Tuesday at the Doosan Arena in Plzen. 'We play for a club where you can't ease off ever. 'We've got a sold out away end and it's a big night for us after being a bit disappointing on Saturday with a few things. 'Hopefully we'll see some stuff that we didn't do well enough come out and do it better and then bring lots of the stuff from the first leg that we brought to the party at Ibrox. 'So no. It's my job on the training pitch to not come off the players one bit at any point. Even when we get into a flow and it starts looking really brilliant, which I'm convinced it will be at some point. 'It's my job to make sure we stay on them all the time, to keep growing. 'And tomorrow night is just a part of that. So, there's no easing, there's no talking about that at all. It's about coming here to try and win a game.' For the longer-serving members of the Gers squad, the sights and sounds of a toxic Ibrox are nothing new. But for the nine fresh faces who have arrived over the past six weeks, Sunday was their first taste of the Govan grumbles. It remains to be seen if the new recruits react better than the teams of old who repeatedly buckled under the weight of expectation. But Martin certainly thinks his men will be better for Saturday's shock to the senses. 'I think everyone has a different experience,' he said. 'We've got guys coming from the Premier League, the Championship, from different leagues, and it's different for everyone. 'Also, it's different in different positions with the expectation and all this stuff. 'First and foremost, it definitely helped us in terms of quality and character every day of training. "I don't think we expected anyone to be 9/10 out of 10 every game, especially so early on in the process. 'This would literally be the last bit of pre-season right now if we were working down the road that we'd been used to, so they've been thrown in at the deep end for sure. 'I think they've done great, really well. 'I think they'll grow into the season, they'll grown into being in this club, they've worked out already what the expectations are. 'They've had a brilliant night, or a couple in Europe already. They've also had a few tough moments in the league. 'So I don't think they've had a better preparation for becoming Rangers players, they've experienced every bit of it already. "But they're really resilient. They have a lot of character, they're really good players first and foremost and they're really going to help us over the course of the season. 'There's way more to come, the more they get used to what we're asking them to do. 'Tomorrow night gives us another chance to really show what we can bring onto the pitch.' Rangers started slowly again on Saturday and were then left playing catch-up with 10 men as Steven Pressley's side snatched a lead. Gers finally dragged themselves level late on but it was yet another afternoon when the Light Blue legions accused their team of wasting time by failing to strike out with purpose and intent from the off. It's an accusation that has been levelled at successive line ups. But Martin said: 'I think it's a really easy fix. 'We have a really clear process. We have to learn from everything whether we win, we draw. 'The guys haven't been beaten in five games, and there's a few really tough games in there. 'So they showed a real mentality to not get beaten with 10 men. 'But there's some real key fundamentals there against a team that were sitting a bit lower, a bit deeper in defence. 'They defended well in numbers. 'But we have to do a lot more to disrupt, especially early in the game, because if you score early in the game, it changes the context of the game completely. 'For us, we're doing it differently to the previous manager and the previous manager before that. 'Everyone comes with their own ideas. 'It was the first time we had a chance to come up against that, and we'll be better for it. 'That's what we have to do. We have to learn and improve. So, I'm convinced that will happen.' Tomorrow, however, the onus will be on Plzen to take the initiative after Djeidi Gassama's double and Cyriel Dessers' penalty put Gers firmly in control of the third round qualifier last week. 'Goals change ties and games, so we have to start the gamer really well ourselves,' said Martin. 'They have, I guess, a nothing-to-lose approach. So, we have to be really ready for that. "If we have a setback in the game, which is not part of the plan, we have to respond in the way we did against Panathinaikos. 'I loved the way the players responded to that. And I really enjoyed the way the players responded to going down to 10 men on Saturday. 'There are showing togetherness. They have to keep growing, keep building. The spirit has to keep growing and building. 'But the plan is to not have a tough start. We need to start the game as well as we possibly can. But we have to be ready for everything.'
Scottish Sun
3 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca opens up on heartbreak of losing team-mate at 22 in death that shocked footballing world
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) CHELSEA boss Enzo Maresca loves to celebrate with a cigar - but more than anything he wishes he could have a smoke with a team-mate who died in horrific circumstances. Maresca has enjoyed plenty of recent success, guiding the Blues to glory in the Conference League and Club World Cup. 5 Enzo Maresca has opened up on the heartbreaking loss of Antonio Puerta Credit: Getty 5 The pair played together at Sevilla and Maresca would love to share a cigar with his pal Credit: EPA 5 Puerta died after collapsing on the pitch from a cardiac arrest Credit: AFP After the latter, the Blues boss enjoyed one of his favourite Portagas 2 cigars, the brand he used to smoke with Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola when they were marking City's success. But when Maresca was asked to name the football personality he would most like to one of his favourite Portagas No 2 cigars with, the Italian gave a poignant answer - Antonio Puerta, who died aged 22 after suffering a cardiac arrest on the field. Maresca told Men in Blazers: 'That's a very good question. I will tell you, when I was 25, 26, I lost a team-mate inside the pitch. So if I could, I would like a cigar with him.' Midfielder Maresca had four seasons at Sevilla but his third campaign started in tragic fashion. The Italian was on the field when, just 35 minutes into the opening game of the 2007/8 season - at home against Getafe - Puerta suffered a cardiac arrest. After the wing-back collapsed and lost consciousness in the penalty area, team-mates and medical staff rushed to his aid. Puerta recovered enough to walk to the dressing room but collapsed again there. He was resuscitated and rushed to hospital, where he had to receive more life-saving resuscitation. But Puerta died three days later, on August 28, because of multiple organ failure and irreversible brain damage. It emerged that he had an incurable hereditary heart disease called arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy. Fans spot Liam Delap's reaction on bench after Joao Pedro goal as Chelsea fans say 'this guy can't catch a break' 5 Maresca and Puerta shared a close bond at Sevilla Credit: AFP 5 They won the UEFA Cup together in 2006 Credit: Getty Puerta's death shocked Spanish football and the wider world. His girlfriend was expecting their first child at the time of his death. When Puerta passed away, Maresca and the rest of the Seville squad were already in Greece for a Champions League qualifier against AEK Athens. Maresca, who played for Greek side Olympiakos later in his career, spoke about the tragedy when Chelsea went to Athens in October 2024 for a Conference League game against Panathinaikos. Maresca said: 'In terms of the season I spent here in Greece, for me it was very good with Olympiakos, a big rival with Panathinaikos. But unfortunately I lost a friend on the pitch when I was at Seville. 'The first game we played after that, we were already in Athens and just on that day, one of our team-mates passed away in Antonio Puerta. 'So it is a mixed feeling. The season in Athens was fantastic. But every time I come back here I am a little bit sad.' The Champions League game against AEK, which had been scheduled for the evening of the day Puerta died, was postponed. When Sevilla faced AC Milan in the Uefa Super Cup on August 31, all 22 players had the name Puerta on the back of their shirts. Sergio Ramos, who had come through the Sevilla academy and into the first team with Puerta, wore T-shirts in memory of Puerta after Spain's triumphs at Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup. Jesus Navas, who was on the field on the day Puerta collapse, made the same gesture after the 2010 World Cup final. In 2010, Sevilla unveiled a statue of Puerta at their training ground. Watch the full Men in Blazers interview with Enzo Maresca here.
BBC News
3 minutes ago
- BBC News
Raskin affected by 'uncertainty' over Rangers future
Rangers midfielder Nico Raskin has been impacted by "uncertainty" over his future at the club, according to head coach Russell Belgium international has been linked with big money moves away from Ibrox and Martin concedes that contact from external parties has had an effect."There's been a bit of uncertainty about him this summer, for sure," Martin said before Tuesday's second leg of the Champions League third qualifying round tie at Viktoria Plzen."Not from people ringing us, but I think from people ringing him, definitely."I think that's affected his approach, not in terms of professionalism and stuff, but he's a young man, of course it's going to have an impact at some point." Raskin started the first three games of Rangers' season, but was left out of the starting XI for the first leg of the tie against Viktoria Plzen, which Martin's side won 3-0 at 24-year-old was again benched for Saturday's Premiership match against Dundee, but impressed as a substitute in the 1-1 draw. Martin expressed his delight at how Raskin has responded to being dropped."He came out of the team for reasons that me and him spoke about, and his reaction has been top, like really, really brilliant," he said."He's a really fantastic player, and he's a young man that I'm getting to know all the time, and actually I really like his character and personality."It's my job to make sure, playing for this football club, whoever you are, the demands are really clear, in whatever position you play." 'Hopefully we can get to end of window' When asked if he expects Raskin to stay at Rangers beyond this summer, Martin said it would take a "mind-blowing" offer for the Ibrox club to consider selling one of last season's standout performers."I don't think we're in a position where we have to sell anyone," Martin said. "I don't think we're in a position where we want to lose some of the best performers last season, that we think can become really top performers for us moving forward."Unless someone comes in and blows our minds and everyone decides, the player, the club, that it's the best for everyone and then we can make sure we're in a position to replace them with someone else. "It's the same for any club in world football now. I don't think there is a club that's immune to that really."Hopefully, we can get to the end of the window. He's played brilliantly. The window shuts, he's still here, and then we can keep improving and keep kicking on."
