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New York Times
20 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Football Architects: The England DNA behind the pursuit of tournament-winning teams
This is the fifth of a six-part series looking at figures who have played a pivotal role in a modern football success story. The first piece, on the rebuilding of Ajax, can be found here. Part two, on Belgium becoming No 1 in the FIFA Rankings is here. Part three, on the rise of Croatian football is here. And part four on the sport's data pioneers is here. Each article comes with a related podcast, which can be found here on The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast feed. The rationale is simple, John McDermott says: 'Under pressure, players often revert to type.' He is explaining why, in December 2014, just six months after England had finished bottom of their World Cup group, Dan Ashworth and Gareth Southgate announced the 'England DNA' at St George's Park. Ashworth was the director of elite development at The FA and Southgate had just completed his first year as England Under-21s men's head coach. Advertisement The DNA was an overarching term for their 'approach to elite player development' that applied to England age-group teams from under-15s through to the men's under-21s and women's under-23s. It laid out the vision for future internationals to be exceptional across four 'corners' — technical/tactical, physical, psychological, social — and contained five core elements. Best practice for coaches was outlined, expectations for the 'future England player' were listed and the FA said holistic support would be provided. They articulated how age-group teams should play, which would be 'the strongest demonstration of the England DNA'. A focus was placed on a two-way understanding of heritage and culture in an increasingly diverse country. Over the next decade, England's senior men had their greatest spell of sustained success at tournament level, reaching successive European Championship finals in 2021 and 2024, and a World Cup semi-final in 2018. The senior women went even better, winning the Euros on home soil in the summer of 2022, finishing as runners-up at the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, and then retaining their Euros title in Switzerland this summer. The notion of 'proper England' became a buzzword that powered them to the title. Success in age-group football has been abundant: the women's under-17s were Euros runners-up last May; the men's under-21s won the Euros again this summer, like they had in 2023; the men's under-17, under-19 and under-20 sides have all won continental or world silverware since 2017. The England DNA project was an important moment, comprehensively covering how to instil cultural change at the same time as catalysing technical and tactical evolution. 'Traditionally the Dutch, and more recently the Spanish, have very clear playing identities,' McDermott says. Advertisement He has been the technical director at the FA since early 2021 — having been Les Reed's assistant previously — and first worked there in 1995. McDermott coached the under-16 through to under-21 national teams in the mid-2000s, and worked in the academies of Leeds United, Watford, and Tottenham Hotspur. 'A player isn't going to change profile in a World Cup final into something which they aren't at their club,' he says. 'There's got to be a reflection (within England teams) of how they play at their clubs, in the Premier League, the Champions League.' The DNA was intended as the foundation of the FA's quest for tournament-winning teams. In 2014, though, England's senior men's side were on a run of eight major tournaments where their ceiling was the quarter-finals. The pressure kept compounding and players kept crumbling under it. So where did they look for inspiration? 'I would think we're all probably magpies,' McDermott says. 'If you were to speak to Pep Guardiola, you'd hear about the influence that Johan Cruyff had on him, the influence Rinus Michels had on Cruyff, and the influence that Vic Buckingham had on Michels. 'There's not this ivory tower where somebody comes up with this formula that nobody's ever thought of.' Consequently, Ashworth started close to home, visiting national training centres in France (Clairefontaine) and the Netherlands (Zeist). 'You speak to a lot of people. We're trying to get as many experiences as we can. You go to America, see what's happening in other sports, and ask: 'What do we do next? What's the evolution of the DNA?'. 'There's this curiosity where we're trying to look and then mould ideas into the English way, to make sure that's aligned with how the league is and where the playing system is.' 'I remember being at a FIFA conference and one of the speeches described how in senior football you're winning the next game or the next tournament, while in youth football it's about winning the next 10 years. I thought that was really clever, but there are subtleties.' Advertisement As such, they were not prescriptive with formations like Belgium (4-3-3), the Netherlands (4-3-3) and Italy (4-diamond-2) can be. 'It's less about the specific system and more about how it looks and how the players perform, playing the style that we want — expansive football, dominating the ball, playing through the thirds.' It is why the 'how we play' component of England DNA included transition as a phase of the game — counter-attacks and counter-pressing were given as much emphasis as build-up and defensive shape. 'The principles around in-possession, out-of-possession, transitions and set plays, I'm sure Alf Ramsey (England manager between 1963 and 1974) was talking about that. The examples and language changes. 'Have those principles been honed? Have they been better presented? Is the teaching better now with young players? Yeah, it probably is. 'One of the mantras we have is 'unearth, connect, develop and win'. Again Howard (Wilkinson) would have had that, and Dan (Ashworth) would have that in different words, but it's updating the wallpaper, updating the furniture.' It is an area where McDermott feels they have made progress but are still not perfect. He talks about 'footballing culture' and how players arrive at national team camps in the technical and tactical moulds of what their club coaches want. This was 'quite apparent' to McDermott when he started his current role. 'You'd see the Leeds players under Marcelo Bielsa, the Manchester City players under Pep Guardiola, some of the Liverpool players under Jurgen Klopp, and they'd want to do slightly different things — Leeds players going to man-to-man, Manchester City players wanting to stay on the ball, Liverpool players wanting heavy-metal football.' England DNA was therefore not just a blueprint but also something to unite players, who might spend so much of their season playing in different systems and styles to one another. He points out that, with age-group teams — whom the DNA was actually for — players can come from different levels of the English footballing pyramid. Increasingly, they are venturing into other major European leagues too. McDermott is talking via video call from Slovakia, where he was with England's men's under-21s at the European Championship. He was speaking mid-tournament as Lee Carsley's side defended their title from 2023 with an almost completely different squad, beating Germany 3-2 in the final compared with the one that was victorious over Spain two years prior. Advertisement Aidy Boothroyd once said that, if being the senior head coach was an 'impossible job' then being under-21s head coach was 'utterly impossible'. Trying to win tournaments and keep progressing talent to the senior side, he felt, were at odds with each other. For McDermott to say 'it's not win at all costs' feels almost ironic, considering the relative recent success of the under-21s and other age-group teams. 'There's a way in which we want to play and there's a way in which we want to get to those finals and win. It's finding that right balance between winning and developing — the two are very closely interlinked.' In 2008, England's men failed to qualify for the European Championship, and, the very next year, the under-21s were beaten 4-0 by Germany in the age-group final. Does the unreliability of memory mean that year is misremembered as the nadir from where change stemmed? 'There was not one day when it all happened. To say that this all began in 2008 disrespects some of the brilliant brains we've had in the past. It's definitely an evolution.' Success, as the saying goes, has many fathers. For McDermott, how you view the progression 'probably depends on who you speak to. I guess I'm steeped in FA history'. He namechecks Bobby Robson, who managed England's men's side for 95 games and took them to the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup in Italy. Dave Sexton also gets credit from McDermott. He was twice England men's under-21s coach and led them to Euros wins in 1982 and 1984, back-to-back winners like Carsley's teams. McDermott traces things all the way back to Walter Winterbottom, England's first ever men's coach from 1946 to 1962. 'Followed by Allen Wade and then I worked under Charles Hughes. They all had their principles of play or how they saw the game being played,' McDermott says. Advertisement He is not sequentially listing England coaches, but figures who were inspirational in shaping — for better or worse — English footballing identity. Wade became the FA's director of coaching in 1963 and wrote The FA's Guide to Training and Coaching in 1970; Hughes was Wade's assistant — he'd later hold the role himself — and coached the Great Britain Olympic football team for a decade from 1964-1974. 'Charles was probably epitomised quite wrongly,' he says while squinting, as though digging into his subconscious to remember correctly. 'He wrote a book called The Winning Formula around direct play. He probably didn't sell his ideas as well (as he could).' Hughes is best known now for building on the work of Charles Reep, who was one of the earliest statistical analysts in English football. Reep collected data by hand in the 1950s. It must be remembered that this was innovative at the time, even if by modern standards the notational methods were simplistic and the findings over-reductive. Reep identified that most goals were scored from sequences of fewer than four passes, half of all goals were following opposition-half regains, and one in 10 shots were scored. The problem, as future research showed, was he did not adjust for frequency in a low-scoring sport. There were fewer goals from long passing sequences or deep build-ups because these happened less. Hughes, lauded by Robson in his autobiography, spun this into a concept he called the position of maximum opportunity (POMO); this stressed the importance of flooding the box with crosses and always having a player in line with the back post. Hence English football developed a reputation as direct and agricultural, perhaps cemented by the poor-quality, muddy pitches that it was often played on, which did little to facilitate intricate, short passing. Advertisement McDermott describes 1997 as 'a landmark,' with Howard Wilkinson, four months after being sacked as Leeds United manager, becoming technical director at the FA. He says it 'turbocharged' the development of English football. 'That was the start of the academies, starting to get full-time coaches. Before that we had centres of excellence. Howard was very much about the facilities and the time spent (coaching).' Wilkinson authored the Charter for Quality, a 90-page document of 32 aspects that outlined how the FA would maximise player potential, with specific demands on facilities and coaching, and proposing an action plan for small-sided games programme for players aged seven to 10. 'After Howard, there was Trevor Brooking. Trevor concentrated around improving techniques that built upon Howard's work. He brought in a document called The Future Game.' That technical guide, published in 2010, was three-times as big as the Charter for Quality, In it, Brooking outlines a vision of developing players who are technically excellent and innovative coaches who train them into existence. The backdrop of the time was England's age-group teams underachieving compared with European counterparts, with game-time for English players in the Premier League on the decline. McDermott explains that developing technicians was Brooking's 'passion,' owing to Brooking himself being physically lacking but two-footed and technical — he made over 500 appearances for West Ham between 1966 and 1984, twice won the FA Cup, and played 47 times for England. 'The EPPP (Elite Player Performance Plan) came in around that time (2012) within the academies. It turbo-boosted the initial work that Howard did — more investment came into clubs.' Wilkinson, McDermott feels, built the foundations for Brooking to try and improve players from. From that, 'Dan (Ashworth) came in and brought the DNA we now work off. Maybe because I've been around a long time and I've known a lot of the players, I don't see milestones.' The crowning moment for the England DNA on the men's side was at Wembley in summer 2021, nearly seven years after it was announced. England were 2-1 up in extra time against Denmark. Nothing says pressure like being one goal ahead in the 116th minute of a European Championship semi-final on home soil. Advertisement They had been dropping deeper and deeper and restoring to defending the box — reverting to the England type of old. But then something clicked. Denmark had used their subs and had to chase the game with 10 men when an injury hit. Raheem Sterling picked up a loose ball after England cleared a Denmark corner, and the two and a half minutes that followed were everything Brooking once dreamt of. England did not score. They did not have a shot. They did not cross the ball. What they did do was stitch together 53 passes, the longest possession of the tournament. An exhausted Denmark were pulled left and right as England went up and down the pitch and from side to side. There were one-twos, triangles, even an audacious switch from centre-back Harry Maguire to marauding right-back Kieran Trippier. England captain Harry Kane said 'that was a great sign of what we're about, that shows the unselfishness of the team. We ended up keeping it for a good few minutes and killed Denmark off. It was our night tonight.' They ended up being penalty kicks away from becoming a tournament-winning team, losing against Italy in the final. That England team, managed by Southgate (he stepped up to the senior team in 2016) manifested into the very blend of everything that he and Ashworth explained the DNA was in 2014. Parts of Southgate's team were stereotypically English, being so defensively strong and compact — they only conceded twice in seven games and neither were from open play — and yet they made a first tournament final for nearly 60 years by keeping possession. They were, to borrow McDermott's term, 'cosmopolitan'. England's player of the tournament, Sterling, was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and raised in Wembley. McDermott says that there are some age-group teams that can have a majority of players with multiple nationalities. Advertisement 'I don't remember really having competition on recruitment,' he says of the early 2000s. 'Competing for young talent (now) is probably more similar to competing for talent at a club than it was 20 years ago. 'The question also becomes an ethical one as they get a bit older. What I'm always aware of is giving somebody one or two caps, but they might have got 50 or 60 caps for another nation. Making good judgements in the interest of the player becomes a dimension.' But despite England's age-group success, McDermott still thinks of those who might have slipped through the net. One mention of Belgium's futures teams — which run parallel to their age-group sides and are for late-developing players — prompts him to bring up the relative age effect. That is the term to describe the overrepresentation of players born earlier in the year (academic year in England, calendar year elsewhere in Europe), because they tend to be the first to physically develop. 'It's always fascinated me. Quite early on, I didn't see the talent of Ashley Young when I was at Watford, we didn't offer Ashley a contract at under 16. Thankfully he stayed on. That was a near miss that I had very early in my career.' 'We are trying to get our coaches to be aware of that — it's something we do within all of our recruitment meetings. I don't want our coaches to be frightened of playing a younger player or a physically immature player just in case we lose.' He cites stats from the under-19 Euros where just 17 per cent of players were fourth-quartile babies (i.e. the youngest in their year groups). 'That includes a lot of countries that have been looking at futures projects for some time,' McDermott points out. 'It probably balances off a little bit as you get older and sometimes those August birthdays are probably more resilient because of it, because they've survived. We had quite a few when I was at Spurs: Kane, (Ryan) Mason, (Andros) Townsend were all late in the year. 'If I had a magic wand that'd be one thing I would probably look to address, especially in this country but across world football as well — it's everywhere.'
The Guardian
23-07-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Michelle Agyemang's spectacular rise from ballgirl to Lionesses' gamechanger
On the afternoon of Wednesday 2 April, Arsenal's Michelle Agyemang was sitting pitchside at St George's Park, watching her England Under-19 teammates cruise to a European Championship qualifier victory against Belgium, unable to play because of suspension. With the senior Lionesses also based at the national football centre that week, the England manager, Sarina Wiegman, and many of her staff came along to observe the 6-0 win and several of the England players – including the captain, Leah Williamson – chatted with Agyemang in the seating area. Little could the 19-year-old have known that, just over three months later, she would be the Lionesses' saviour – twice – in the knockout stages of Euro 2025. A year ago, Agyemang scored a hat-trick for England at the Under-19 European Championship but few could have been bold enough to predict she would burst into the nation's hearts on the grander stage so soon. Yet, that week in April, events were about to unfold that would transform not only her summer fortunes but England's too. On the Saturday Agyemang scored in a strong performance to help the Under-19s to defeat Austria 5-1 and the following day she was drafted into the senior squad for the first time to cover for the injured Alessia Russo. A few days later she made her senior England debut, coming on against Belgium in the 80th minute and scoring 41 seconds later with only her second touch. In Switzerland this summer she has showed why she is so special. With the Lionesses struggling for form – and goals – in their defence of the European Championship they won in 2022 she has twice come on to save them from elimination. In the quarter-final against Sweden, England were 2-0 down when Agyemang replaced Georgia Stanway after 70 minutes, scoring the all-important equaliser before the Lionesses won on penalties. In the semi-final against Italy, she entered the fray as late as the 85th minute and equalised deep into added time. Chloe Kelly scored the winner in extra time and England now have the chance to defend their crown on Sunday in Basel. Agyemang, who grew up in the Essex town of South Ockendon, with parents of Ghanaian descent, was not even born when England hosted Euro 2005 but she has long been tipped to reach the top and has been playing for Arsenal's age-group teams since the age of six. Football isn't the only thing in Agyemang's life. She is studying business management at King's College London, as part of its sport and wellness programme. She was 'brought up on gospel music' and revealed after England's win against Sweden that she has brought her piano over. 'The kitman brought it over in a van. It's calm and relaxing,' she said. 'Lottie [Wubben-Moy, her Arsenal and England teammate] asked me to play for her – she came to my room and I played a few things for her, which was nice.' If ever the Football Association wanted an example of the benefits of integrating all of the youth international and senior sides together at St George's Park, and of the advantages of the interconnected pathway and dialogue between senior and youth-pathway coaches, Agyemang grabbing her golden opportunity in that week in April with both hands was it. Yes, it is true that it cannot have been in Wiegman's plans for Russo to pick up a knock during that April camp so that a teenager would need to be called upon for the trip to Belgium, and the Dutchwoman would be the first to admit that. The idea of Agyemang scoring crucial goals this summer to help propel England to their third consecutive major final was surely not one she imagined. It is also true, though, that England's pathway coaches have admired Agyemang for years and she has long been tipped as a senior star. In the Women's Super League, however, she was getting relatively few moments to shine during her season-long loan spell with Brighton, for whom she made 17 WSL appearances last term but just three starts, scoring three times in the 576 minutes she featured on the pitch. Asked about Agyemang's talents, during England's full-squad media day at St George's Park in June, Williamson said: 'I remember the first time she played because she came and flattened me in training. I was too slow on it and I think I gave her a bit of stick about it, but in my head I thought: 'She's got something about her'. [She is] someone who you can't give a second to. 'In training [in June], I was screaming for a pass and she put it top bins and I thought: 'I ain't going to say nothing'. So my first impression was, she let me know she was there, which I love. As a young player coming through, you can do all the fancy flicks and tricks you want, but somebody needs to know about you, and you need to tell people that you're there, and that's what she does.' Sign up to Moving the Goalposts No topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women's football after newsletter promotion Ask anyone close to the England squad and you will hear similar stories of Agyemang firing powerful shots into the top corner at England's training base on the outskirts of Zurich during this tournament, while others also speak of a polite, unassuming and well-spoken teenager who conducts herself with a maturity far beyond her years. Growing up, fittingly one of the youngster's idols was Theo Walcott, the former Arsenal forward who was the surprise last-gasp inclusion in England's men's 2006 World Cup squad. However, the difference is that Walcott – then aged 17 – was not given any match minutes in that tournament by Sven-Göran Eriksson whereas Wiegman has entrusted Agyemang to be a gamechanging substitute. With three goals from her four senior appearances, her fearless and composed performances – she also hit the crossbar against Italy with an audacious effort – have been so strong that Wiegman was asked in her post-match press conference about whether Agyemang's displays were forcing her to rethink whether she should play even more. The head coach replied: 'She's not forcing me. She is very grateful that she gets minutes. She's ready for it. Her growth and development went so quickly. From not starting at Brighton, to getting lots more minutes, showing how good she is, and coming into our team, as things go it has been pretty smooth for her and I think she feels very good about that.' To describe her rise as rapid would be a vast understatement. Not even four years ago, Agyemang was a ballgirl at Wembley for Wiegman's first match at the national stadium. She will surely play a role, one way or another, in the Lionesses' European final in Basel on Sunday, no longer watching on from the sides but now quickly becoming a household name.
The Herald
23-07-2025
- Business
- The Herald
Bairstow, Milne and Afghan mystery spinner join Sunrisers East Cape
The Sunrisers Eastern Cape revealed their early hand for the Betway SA20 Season 4 by retaining two regulars and bringing in three new international players when the pre-signings and retained lists were released on Wednesday ahead of the September 9 auction. Proteas power-hitter Tristan Stubbs will remain at St George's Park and will be joined by all-rounder Marco Jansen, who was strategically named as a wild card. The fresh international faces are mystery Afghan spinner Allah Ghazanfar, New Zealand fast bowler Adam Milne and English wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow, who is no stranger to orange having previously turned out for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League. The teams were each permitted a maximum of six retained or pre-signed players, comprising a maximum of three South African and three overseas players during the player retention window, which closed on July 18. The teams also strategically completed their six wild-card signings, with all the focus now on the remaining slots and the collective maximum purse of R131m, to be spent on the 84 available slots at the auction on September 9 in Johannesburg. For season 4, a wild card player could be any overseas player or a South African player who was part of the team's squad in season 3. The list of players and remaining salary cap is: Durban's Super Giants (R29.5m): Sunil Narine, Noor Ahmad, Jos Buttler, Heinrich Klaasen (wild card) Joburg Super Kings (R21.5m): Faf du Plessis, James Vince, Akeal Hosein, Richard Gleeson, Donovan Ferreira (wild card) MI Cape Town (R11.5m): Ryan Rickelton, George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Rashid Khan, Trent Boult, Nicholas Pooran, Kagiso Rabada (wild card) Paarl Royals (R14.5m): Lhuan-dre Pretorius, David Miller, Bjorn Fortuin, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Sikandar Raza, Rubin Hermann (wild card) Pretoria Capitals (R32.5m): Will Jacks, Sherfane Rutherford, Andre Russell (wild card) Sunrisers Eastern Cape (R21.5m): Tristan Stubbs, Allah Ghazanfar, Adam Milne, Jonny Bairstow, Marco Jansen (wild card) Some SA players available to be picked up at the auction include Proteas World Test Championship Final heroes Aiden Markram, Lungi Ngidi, Wiaan Mulder and Keshav Maharaj, along with top young talent Dewald Brevis and Kwena Maphaka. T20 specialists Quinton de Kock, Anrich Nortje and Tabraiz Shamsi are also available. Betway SA20 league commissioner Graeme Smith said: 'When the league first drafted its regulations in season 1, we always saw this forthcoming season as an opportunity for a strategic reset — and this is exactly where we envisioned being. 'There's now a strong balance between pre-signed and retained international and Proteas players, alongside a significant purse available for the auction,' he said. 'After three seasons, the franchises have developed a good understanding of the South African cricket ecosystem and adopted a distinct strategy which sets the stage for the most exciting auction yet.' The season 4 auction will be live on SuperSport in Sub-Saharan Africa and JioHotstar in India with rolling coverage of all the action across all Betway SA20 social media platforms. — SA20 Media
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
His integration, Leonardo Jardim, 2004… Our exclusive interview with Eric Dier
Having arrived in the Principality at the end of May, the English central defender took advantage of the pre-season training camp to talk about his arrival, his career and his knowledge of AS Monaco. Like everyone else, he was entitled to his hazing. And ironically, it was at home, in England, that 'Eric Dier sang Bob Marley's 'Three Little Birds' at the team's camp at St. George's Park,in front of all his teammates and the AS Monaco staff. It was therefore between two training sessions and before taking his first steps with the Rouge et Blanc against Coventry (0-5), that the new number 3 confided in us at length. Interview 🎙️ Hello Eric. To start, tell us about the time you had to sing in front of your teammates for the traditional hazing. It was good, especially since I'm experienced, so I know you have to go first (smiles)! It's a really nice moment; it's one of the things that helps everyone integrate, and it's fun too. It's also nice to be here on camp with the team because we all spend time together, which allows us to get to know everyone, so it's great. I must admit it's a strange feeling to be here, especially since I've never been here with a club. I've obviously been here many times with the Three Lions, so I know the place very well. But it's nice to be here, especially since it's a perfect place to train, with fantastic facilitie Eric DierOn the camp at St. George's Park What's it like to be back here at the England national team's base camp? I must admit it's a strange feeling to be here, especially since I've never been here with a club. I've obviously been here many times with the Three Lions, so I know the place very well. But it's nice to be here, especially since it's a perfect place to train, with fantastic facilities! And it's not as hot as in Monaco (smiles)… Do you think this camp can accelerate your integration into the group? Yes, definitely! As I said, it makes things a lot easier because you're with your teammates and the staff every day, including during meals, and not just at training. We spend a lot of time together, so it's something I was really looking forward to, to get to know everyone… and remember everyone's first names already (laughs)! It's really nice and, above all, very important. Personally, you speak several languages (English, Portuguese, and some Spanish and German). Does that also help you integrate and facilitate communication with everyone? Yes, I sincerely believe so, 100%! I always say that languages have helped me enormously in my career and in my relationships with people. Speaking Portuguese, for example, allows me to communicate with Brazilians and some members of staff. I also manage to communicate in Spanish with Ansu (Fati). It definitely helps you connect with people, so yes, it's a fantastic gift. I found a very professional environment, as I expected, with the staff and everyone who works at the Club. I'm not surprised, because I expected it to be very professional, a real working environment. I understood that through my discussions with the management and the coach, but I'm happy that it's been confirmed in practice. Since arriving at the Club, what are your first impressions? Very good! It's nice because it's a young team, and I'm not used to being one of the oldest, as I think only Paul (Pogba) is older than me (smiles). It's a new experience for me, but it's nice because it gives me new energy. I like it, especially since I found a very professional environment, as I expected, with the staff and everyone who works at the Club. I'm not surprised, because I expected it to be very professional, a real working environment. I understood that through my discussions with the management and the coach, but I'm happy that it's been confirmed in practice. Now I just want to work to prepare myself as best as possible with everyone for the season. What do you think of the quality of this squad? I think there's a lot of quality here, indeed, with plenty of room for improvement given the team's youth. So there's room to develop this squad, which is always very exciting. And I think that, regardless of my age, you can always improve, always progress, and that's actually a personal goal. Collectively, I think it's clear that the Club's desire and ambition is to take the next step forward and do even better than last season, to take another step forward. And I can't wait to work towards that goal! Is one of your goals to give some advice to younger people, so they can benefit from your experience? Of course, even though I'm not a 'teacher' (laughs)! But above all, I want to focus on my own behavior and setting a good example. More than words, I think that's the most important thing: showing things before talking. I really like trying to improve myself, to be the best version of myself! It's a club with a great history above all! As I said during my presentation, I think my first memory is of the 2004 Champions League final against Porto. Growing up in Portugal, it was obviously a big event there, especially with José Mourinho. Eric DierOn his first memory of AS Monaco However, I would be delighted to be able to help other players progress, develop, and become better. I think that should always be your goal in life! The best thing is to see that you are making progress and improving; that is the most rewarding thing. I will try to do it personally and help others, to once again reach a new level compared to last season. What does AS Monaco represent to you? It's a club with a great history above all! As I said during my presentation, I think my first memory is of the 2004 Champions League final against Porto. Growing up in Portugal, it was obviously a big event there, especially with José Mourinho. We imagine that the supporters of Sporting, your youth team, must have been rooting for the … Oh yes, we all supported Monaco, that's for sure (laughs)! But there are also so many great players who have played here, whether they came out of the youth system or just came through the club. It's always been a team I've followed, because many Portuguese players I knew have also played here. I repeat, it's a club with a lot of history, an iconic team! And it's a jersey that everyone around the world knows, with the Diagonale. If I have to talk about the present, I was very enthusiastic about what the management and the coach told me, what they expect from me and what they want to do, to continue building here. That's also why I was very motivated from the start by the idea of coming here. You played against this team in 2016-2017. What do you remember about it? It was a long time ago, I was 22 or 23, I think! So my memories are very vague, but I remember that the coach at that time was one of the ones I had at Sporting Lisbon, Leonardo Jardim. João Moutinho, who was already a professional when I was with Sporting's youth team, was also there. I think the matches didn't go well for us, is that right (he says ironically)? What did Leonardo Jardim bring you, exactly? I was very young at the time, only 18 or 19. He was very important to me at a key moment in my development. He was a very demanding coach, who pushed you hard, and like all my coaches between the ages of 18 and 20, he had a big impact on me. I think every coach you work with leaves a mark on different aspects of your life. know he was a great player, especially during his time with Tottenham, where I also played for a long time. And I must say that it's quite rare for English players to go abroad. But for me, it's fantastic to have an experience in another country, in another league... Did you know that you're the fourth English player to play for AS Monaco? No, I didn't know (smiles), even though I knew about Glenn Hoddle obviously. I know he was a great player, especially during his time with Tottenham, where I also played for a long time. And I must say that it's quite rare for English players to go abroad. But for me, it's fantastic to have an experience in another country, in another league… In my personal and professional life, I like this kind of challenge, adapting to a different place and another culture as well. I find it very exciting! The fact that football is different from one country to another is really very interesting for me. And obviously, in my personal life too, living in different countries and having different experiences is also very enriching.. What can you say about Ligue 1 McDonald's? I have to play it first to answer that question (laughs)! Watching it, you can only observe one game, I think you really have to experience this league to understand it better. But what I can say from what I observed last season is that Paris Saint-Germain, who came from this league, won the Champions League! Besides, the fight for places in the Champions League was fierce, and I was really behind AS Monaco, hoping the club would qualify for this major competition; it was really exciting. The fact that so many clubs are fighting for these places shows the competition there is in this league. It's something I found very interesting. So I'm really looking forward to discovering Ligue 1, and I'll be able to give a better answer in a few weeks. But what is certain, however, is that there is a huge amount of talent in France, a lot of talented young players. And then France is a football country, a sporting country in general, it's something that I love and that I can't wait to discover. What can you tell us about your first name? Are you talking about Eric Cantona? I don't really know if the idea for my first name came from him. At the time, he was already a legend, and I adored him growing up! I always had his jersey with that famous upturned collar. When I was a kid, I adored him, he was an incredible character. Is sport in your family's DNA? I think we simply love sports. Personally, I love a lot of sports; I think it's my greatest passion in life. Even outside of football, I really enjoy watching and playing other sports. Which ones? I would say tennis, the NBA, golf, which I play a little, but also the UFC. It's something that's always been part of my family, with my grandfather, my father, and my brothers too, who are very athletic. It's something I grew up with, and I think it helped me on my journey to becoming a professional. Are you really superstitious before matches like we've heard? Yes, but they're just silly things (laughs)! Most footballers are superstitious, but these are just silly little things that I always like to do before a match. The list is very long, but I handle it better now. I think I've managed to shorten it (smiles). I just like to always prepare the same way before every match; it's important to me. My greatest inspiration in sport in general has always been Rafael Nadal! I don't know why, but I've never really had a footballer as a role model Eric DierOn his sporting idols Has becoming a professional footballer always been a dream of yours? (He answers spontaneously) Yes! I don't really remember how old I was, but from the time I joined Sporting Lisbon at eight until I arrived at the academy at 13, I've always dreamed of it. Especially when you join the youth teams, you train where the professionals train, and you can see them up close. So from the moment I moved at 13, I just wanted to go onto those pitches and make my debut. My whole life revolved around that! It was my only dream at the time, and then when you accomplish it, you go from one dream to the next. I was very lucky! Who were your inspirations? My greatest inspiration in sport in general has always been Rafael Nadal! I don't know why, but I've never really had a footballer as a role model. There were definitely players who were at Sporting at the time that I tried to emulate, like captain Pedro Barbosa, because I really liked his style of football. Then there was a Brazilian defender named Anderson Polga. Growing up there, these were people I admired. But by far, my only real idol has always been Rafael Nadal. I've never looked up to a footballer the way I looked up to him! You were just talking about your dream of becoming a footballer and your passion for sport. Can you tell us a little about your role as an ambassador for the Sported association? I'm glad you asked me this question because it's something very important to me, because it's a charity that uses sport to try to help children, as a means of self-development. I'm a big believer in Sported because I think sport can help you develop many skills that aren't just related to playing sports. I'm also thinking of the social skills you can learn, such as how to handle the feeling of disappointment when you lose. Learning respect, teamwork, and being able to be sociable in a group are also important. I think sport teaches you many valuable lessons that you can use in any aspect of your life. Sported also offers children a safe place to go after school. In fact, I've visited some of their centers in London several times. And it's amazing to see what true heroes these people are! They dedicate their lives to children, wherever they are in the country, providing them with a safe place and teaching them discipline, respect, and many important values. They're helping to educate these children; it's truly amazing! What can we wish you for this season? Health, first of all, because that's truly the most important thing (he smiles, touching wood)! Then, I think that both individually and collectively, improvement must always be the number one goal. Yes, of course. I'm very excited to meet them and play at the Stade Louis-II too! I can see it from my apartment, so I'm really looking forward to playing my first minutes there. Are you looking forward to meeting your new supporters? Yes, of course. I'm very excited to meet them and play at the Stade Louis-II too! I can see it from my apartment, so I'm really looking forward to playing my first minutes there. Did you know that the team always receives a lot of away support? Yes, I've already heard about it. I'm also looking forward to discovering new stadiums, and of course, meeting our fans on the road. I like seeing different venues and different fans. So I'm looking forward to seeing our supporters, but I'm also excited to discover Ligue 1 McDonald's.
The Independent
17-07-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Who is Michelle Agyemang? England striker who just equalised against Sweden in Euros quarter-final
Michelle Agyemang knows how to make an impression. Leah Williamson still remembers the first time she saw the 19-year-old join in with the senior team at Arsenal, and perhaps even has the bruise to prove it. 'She come and flattened me,' Williamson says. 'I was too slow on it and I think I gave her a bit of stick about it, but in my head I thought: 'You need to move the ball quicker, because she's got something about her'.' England's captain was left similarly impressed as she discusses Agyemeng's impact at another training session a few years later, this time at St George's Park before the Lionesses head to Euro 2025. 'I was screaming for a pass and she put it top bins, and I thought: 'I ain't going to say nothing',' Williamson says. 'So my first impression was she let me know she was there, which I love. As a young player coming through, you can do all the fancy flicks and tricks you want, but somebody needs to know about you, and you need to tell people that you're there, and that's what she does.' It's a big introduction, but then Agyemang has made a big arrival to be the youngest player to be included in England's Euros squad. Back in April, Agyemeng was a last-minute call-up to England's senior squad ahead of the trip to Belgium, after Alessia Russo took a knock in their previous win and was forced to withdraw. With the Lionesses trailing in the second half, Sarina Wiegman turned to the teenager and within seconds, Agyemeng brought down a long ball on her thigh, swivelled, and fired a first-time volley into the net. A debut goal could not help England avoid defeat, but that night in Belgium may well be remembered as the moment where Agyemang made her mark: certainly, it's hard to imagine how the striker, who spent last season on loan at Brighton from Arsenal, could have made England's Euros squad without those 41 seconds unfolding as they did. In another world, she is spending her summer at the Under-19s Euros instead. 'The turnaround has been really quick,' Agyemeng says. And not just this season, either. Take Wiegman's first game in charge of the Lionesses at Wembley, a 4-0 victory over Northern Ireland in October 2021, secured by a Beth Mead hat-trick. Agyemeng played her part, too, but as a ballgirl on the sidelines. By that stage, those at Arsenal had a sense of what was coming. A lifelong Gunner, she signed for Arsenal at the age of six. She made her first-team debut at the age of 16, before loan spells at Watford and, last season, Brighton. Agyemang scored three goals in the Women's Super League for the Seagulls, where she learned to be more versatile. 'I consider myself a striker, but playing across the front three at Brighton was a challenge for me and it's helped me improve.' Agyemang is one of seven forwards in the England squad. The teenager comes with the least experience, but also perhaps an unknown quality for opponents to deal with. 'Something completely different,' Williamson said when asked what Agyemang can bring to the tournament. 'Michelle's athleticism is something I can only dream of. Playing against her, training against her at Arsenal as well I knew about Michelle before she came into this environment. Her first training session was just a demonstration of what she was about. 'I think it's good to know who you are but she knows how much I believe in her. So whenever I have a conversation [with Michelle], it's always about wanting her to be in the best environment to push herself as far as she can go. But I think those strengths, it's things that we don't necessarily have, which is a strength for me and the reason that she's here. It adds value.' Agyemang's coach at Brighton, Dario Vidosic, believes she can be a 'household name' in the future. 'She's got a beautiful strike, she knows how to hit a ball, she's dangerous, she possesses a lot of weapons,' he said earlier this season. And perhaps England have a secret one, even if Agyemang is keeping her feet on the ground. 'For myself personally, keeping my head down, getting ready for the tournament and whatever my role is, that's my main priority,' she says. 'And I'm sure that's the same for any other player going into a main tournament.'
