Goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen is the latest Chelsea player to answer our questions on his first experiences in football...
The Danish international spent time living in both Sweden and Spain growing up, breaking through as a professional with Villarreal. Now in England with Chelsea, he recently sat down with us to share some of his football firsts...
The first kit you owned was...
...a Real Madrid goalkeeper shirt for Iker Casillas, a green one. He was one of the players I looked up to when I was young, but my real idol was always Manuel Neuer. But I really remember that kit when I was young.
Your first team was...
...a team from my small town in Sweden, Lomma. The team was called Nike. It’s spelled like the people who make the Chelsea kit, but we say it as ‘Nee-kay’.
Your first coach was...
...I can’t really remember my coaches from Nike, but I remember some coaches I had at Malmo when I played there. I can remember two coaches we had, one was called Sam Ali. They were really strict, straight-forward. They were always really honest and that’s what I needed.
The first team-mate you roomed with was...
...when I went professional at Villarreal I shared a room with Alexander Sorloth, the Norwegian striker who used to play for Crystal Palace. We stayed in the hotel in Villarreal before home games and us two always stayed together. We don’t see each other so often anymore but we still speak sometimes.
Your first-team debut was...
...when I was 19. It was with Villarreal in the Copa del Rey against a team called Atletico Sanluqueno. It was not maybe the best debut but I got through it and we won the game 7-1. Unfortunately I came on with 30 minutes left and they scored their goal as soon as I came on, but it didn’t matter in the end. It was just planned to give me my debut as a substitute in that game.
The first time you were recognised in public would have been...
...when I was at Villarreal, but I can’t really remember it too clearly. It was a nice feeling, though, when I started to get recognised.
Your first emotion on signing for Chelsea was...
...happiness! I was very, very happy. Obviously it was a huge step in my career, reaching this level. I was really happy for myself, my family, everyone close to me. I was just happy.