Our Argentinian goalkeeper explains how he’s been brought up on rock music and tries to get to as many gigs as he possibly can in London, when his training schedule and Covid-19 restrictions allow.

He may not get to control the music in the changing room too often, but he certainly knows his stuff when it comes to what genre he enjoys!

‘Well, I love Argentinian music and I grew up listing to bands and groups from my homeland,’ explained Willy.‘In Argentina, there are a lot of rock bands you can go and watch all the time and it’s the same in London. My generation listened to the likes of Guns N’ Roses, Aerosmith, U2 and Oasis.

‘I love music and I love bands like those I’ve just mentioned. I like listening to them and playing my guitar away from football, as I think it’s a good way to get some stress out and enjoy yourself.’

Music man 🎸

‘I play the guitar and have been playing since I was 19 years old. I’m not an expert by any means but I’ve been trying to learn since then and to try and improve all the time.

‘I’ve never been as disciplined with the guitar as I am with football, so I would play for short periods and pick it up again when I had the time. I’m not great at it but I can play a few songs and I’m happy with that. We have a lot of instruments in the house. I have an electric guitar, a ukulele and a piano at home. It’s just trying to find the time to play them all!’

‘I own the music in the gym!’ 🤣

‘If I put the music on in the Chelsea changing room, it doesn’t stay on for even one song because the boys don’t like my choices! They are a lot younger than me and they prefer things like rap and hip-hop and I can respect this.

‘In the gym it is a little different, and I can put my music on. I always arrive earlier than the young guys, so I own this part of Cobham and I control the music there! I think sometimes listening to rock music is good in the gym, it goes with our workout so I think it’s better placed there than in the changing room. I’m happy with that arrangement!’

Willy’s dream headliners? 🎤

‘Wow, this is so difficult. I have watched so many bands over the years and I loved seeing Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Bon Jovi and U2. I think if I had to pick an ultimate then it would be Aerosmith or Oasis.

‘My wish is to see Oasis reform and play, but I’m not sure if that will ever happen! Those five bands would make a good playlist though, maybe I will listen to them in the gym!’

Shooting some hoops 🏀

‘I’ve always loved basketball and I played when I was a kid in Argentina, so I’ve always had an interest and I’ve followed the NBA and the European leagues for many years. I like to watch the big tournaments and I would say it’s my second sport.

‘I don’t have a team specifically, I prefer to follow LeBron James and I’ve been watching him since his early days at Cleveland and the Miami Heat, right through to today at the [LA] Lakers.

‘I managed to get over to LA last season and I watched a couple of games – Clippers v San Antonio and Lakers v Houston – so in those two matches I was able to watch most of the best players in the NBA. It was an unbelievable trip, to see life over in Los Angeles and also to watch some live NBA.’

Introducing the Chelsea fantasy draft! 📲

‘There’s a few guys that enjoy basketball in the team and this year there is a little more interest because we are involved in the NBA fantasy.

‘There’s myself, Marcos, Azpi, Kepa, Jorginho, Emerson and Thiago all involved, and it’s a good way to keep track of the NBA and have some friendly banter about the games. They all like basketball. We don’t have a basket at Cobham to play with but it’s probably for the best, as we don’t want to get any injuries!’