Dominic Calvert-Lewin on Finding his Identity and his Form at Leeds United

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0:35Football to me is still everything, but it was the be all and end all. And it was a large part of my identity. It was like me, the footballer. And it took me a while to find out who really Dominic was. Having a daughter and meeting my wife kind of helped me see that and become, yeah, I'm Dominic the footballer, but I'm also Dominic the father, the husband, the friend.

1:00My guest today is a gent who's become a symbol of this resilient Leeds United side, a bloke of singular style, who's arrived back home in Yorkshire and experienced what can only be called a reconnaissance. I've loved watching him reborn, backing himself to soar again. It's a joy to welcome back one of the top three smelling footballers in the game, Mr Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Roger, how are you? I'm all right. Good, good. You are top three, right? Willian on to our number one. He just smells nice every day. and obviously when you greet everybody in the morning you shake their hands and every time you shake Willie's hand you smell of him for the rest of the day.

1:34God bless life goals the smell of Willie Nonto. Dom I want to start by leaping back a year ago over the summer you were plotting a new course nine seasons at Everton you knew you wanted something new can you talk about that mindset because I think you can only understand what's come next by picking you up where you were then. You've talked about personally needing a refresh, wanting something new. Where were you mentally? I've said it before, you know, needed a fresh start. I think nine years is a long time to be anywhere. And I felt that I'd stagnated a little bit and Everton give me so much.

2:07And I'm very grateful for all my time there. And it's played a large part in my life and my career. But I think you get to, you arrive at a point and I knew what I needed and it was risk and reward. I think I just had to back myself and take on a new challenge. I loved watching you at Everton. I'm going to get that out of the way. I miss you there. When you first sawed there, it was under Carlo Ancelotti. And he came on our show and I said, how did you make this gent go there? And he said, it's simple. I just put my arm around his shoulder and then he thrived. And you kind of did. We've talked about how you're a man who feels things, which can be hard as a footballer.

2:43Can you talk about in your own words what you realise you need the conditions to thrive? Something, I guess, what Carlo suggested there. I think he did exactly that and it gave me what I needed as a player and as a person to go and thrive on the football pitch. Which is what? Just that support system, the arm around the shoulder. Just the subtle relationship that he built with me got the best out of me. It's hard to explain. I missed him a lot when he left Everton. I was at the Euros at the time when I found out he was leaving, so I was disappointed. And then what followed that was a series of injuries when probably I needed something like that at that time and I didn't quite have it.

3:24Same with Duncan Ferguson, left around the same time, I think, as well. So the big pillars for me within the football club had left and I went into a difficult period, as everybody knows, and now I'm happy to have come out the other end. I want to dig into the story of last season. You got your first Premier League minutes as a substitute third week against Newcastle. First start, next game against Fulham and your first goal away to Wolves the following week. It was a high deep cross from Jadon Bogle, dropped into your curls. You were sandwiched between two Wolves centre-backs and you looped it home.

3:55I'm not a big counter, Dom, but I believe that was your first goal in 244 days. What did that feel like in that moment to experience that again? Was it like catharsis? Was it a relief? Was it pure joy? Just pure joy, a great feeling, you know, to have gotten off the mark for Leeds United was top on my priority to-do list, you know, to score my first goal. So to have done that so early in the season was a nice kind of thing to achieve and a nice start, but start as you mean to go on and just, yeah, a great feeling. I mean, that match was also the first time completing 90 minutes since the same game back in January.

4:32Hamstring injury kept you out in the wake of that. And I know you're a player for whom physicality, it's more than just throwing your body around the field. You're very in tune with your own body. Can you talk about how you almost need to learn to trust your body again? I think it's different for everybody, but I think when you go through a series of setbacks, it takes a time to kind of trust your body again. And you can only do that by training and playing and staying on the pitch. And I think for me, I put a larger focus into my recovery, my nutrition all the things and sleep being the main pillar of everything around the football pitch to kind of give myself the best chance of staying on the pitch and I'd say last season I left no stone unturned in in in that respect and one thing I've got to mention as well is my support system at home my wife you do it my daughter it's given me the best platform I could wish for to go and thrive on the football pitch and it all coincided at the same time and it's uh it's a life story as well as a professional story you know it's amazing man footballers have to be selfish by trade like you have to only think about yourself i've heard you in interviews talking about what having a daughter's done to change your life and your game but it's almost anti that footballing selfishness how do you understand it i think that i was so um like football to me it's still everything but it was the be all and end all and it was a large part of my identity it was like me the footballer and it took me a while to find out who really Dominic was I would say and having a daughter and meeting my wife kind of helped me see that and become yeah I'm Dominic the footballer but I'm also Dominic the father the husband the friend at home and I think that gives me more clarity in who I am and and it's actually helped me perform on the football pitch because I'm I'm way more free to play.

6:21Free to play was really the ethos of watching it. It has been so joyous to see you soar again, that redemptive arc for the club, for you. The story's well known. And 2-0 down against Manchester City at halftime. Daniel Farker moves you to three at the bat. You score in that game and things begin to click for the team, for you. I want to talk about the team first because there was momentum coming out of that. How do you experience that kind of transformation from a relegation-bound team who were struggling to possess the ball to one who were suddenly flowing? it's almost like a vibe shift. Is it the culture that comes first to change or does winning actually change the culture?

6:58The culture was there and I was always a strong believer that even when we were facing adversity in the beginning of the season that we could turn it around because of the group that we had, the culture that we built and also the culture that I've walked into that give, certainly for me, it was a natural fit. It's in Yorkshire. We all know I'm a Yorkshire man and I felt very at home with the staff, the players, how they welcome me in. The core of the team was strong enough and was resilient enough to be able to turn it around. And sometimes it takes moments in football to do that. And that was the evidence that we needed, that we could go against the best and play well.

7:35We didn't come away with a result on the day, but we'd done enough and had the evidence to show that, right, we deserve to be here. And that was the catalyst.

7:51entertainment and more. There's nothing like platinum. Learn more at AmericanExpress.com slash explore dash platinum. Enrollment requirements, monthly and other limits in terms apply. You went to the Chelsea game, the Liverpool game, that story is well known. But for you, you want to post seven goals in six games, that unbeaten run that lifted leads up and really you never look back. You've talked about how it was the environment, rising your tide. But personally, when you're in that flow again, when you're scoring the goals like that, does the game feel different? Do the goalkeepers feel shorter?

8:23Do the goals feel bigger? Do you feel like you can't miss when you pull your foot back? There are moments in your career or in seasons where you go through that kind of vein of form where everything that touches you goes in. And that's the kind of form I was in through November, December, January. And it's a great feeling as a striker when you get into that flow state. That's where you want to be. and as long as you can stay in that, the better. What does it feel like to score a goal? Can you put it into words? It's the best feeling in the world. It really is. And it's addictive. It's the adrenaline rush that you get when you're scoring goals.

8:59I never get bored of it, you know. And I think coming into a club like Leeds United, it's been very, very special to have been scoring on a consistent basis and feeling that love from the fans and giving back. You know, they want to see a representation of themselves when they look at you on the football pitch. And that's what I always strive to do is just try and give my best and give back to them that support you so well. Yeah, the beautiful quote in the programme at Leeds United this season, you said, I want to score goals for those normal blokes from Yorkshire because I'm still one of them.

9:28It was as simple as that. And when I came to the club, I realised that I'd made a very good decision in joining the football club and feeling the place and the environment and the people. And there was always going to be question marks over, was I the right man for the job? And I felt that from a part of the fan base. but what I felt mostly was let's get behind this guy you know he's an experienced Premier League player and he's going to be good for us so I wanted to repay that and when I started to do that it was you know a great great feeling Wayne Mooney once came on the show and said that to score a goal it feels like you're underwater as a diver and then you just break the water level you can hear everything it's not a bad analogy I would say like sometimes you go into a state of euphoria particularly when you score a goal that means so much that the noise is so loud that it's almost silent you know you go into like this different place and most of the celebrations that I do I don't really remember you know because you're just so like taking everything in but also taking nothing in at the time and it's Diego Forlan said it was like an orgasm only better it could be could be Dom if you had to name two strikers that you've learned the most from style wise just by watching who'd they be and why?

10:35The last 10 years I always watched Karim Benzema even though our styles may not be so similar I just think in terms of appreciating someone else's craft and what they do, for me, he's one of the best to ever play number nine. So Benzema would be one. That makes a physicality and clinicality. Yeah, just the way he played, the way he moved, the way he could score all types of goals. I think a top, top player that probably doesn't get the respect that he deserves, in my opinion. And then for someone that could arguably be similar to me, Olivier Giroud. I think another one that maybe doesn't get the respect he deserves.

11:09I think a top player, target man, didn't rely necessarily on his pace, but relied more on his craftiness, on his physicality, and he's back to goal play, and obviously scored some great goals. Both two good-looking. Your manager, Daniel Farker, said you're a great human being, a great teammate, hard worker, and he described your goal-scoring habit. You've heard this a lot, I'm sure. The ketchup bottle says the goals all come out after a couple of shakes, almost like the goal-scoring is linked to confidence. do you agree Dom or is there a condiment that you feel more spiritually aligned with than the tomorrow source I think for me it's you know as a striker you've got a handful of players in the world strikers in the world that can pick the ball up from the halfway line dribble it and shoot from 20 yards and it goes in I might not have that capability and I know my strengths and I sometimes well I rely a lot on the players around me and the service that I get and sometimes you go through periods where maybe you're not in the right place or the service is not quite there and the team's going for a difficult moment so the opportunities aren't there as much but then there are other times when everything clicks and you're in the right place but that doesn't happen by accident because I'm still getting in the right areas I'm still assessing that when the ball's out wide I need to be in this area in case the ball does come sometimes the ball comes to the front post and you're in the back post I don't want to get too technical but it's about getting in the right areas consistently and eventually your luck will change So you said that goals are not the defining measurement of your success.

12:38So what are the metrics? What are the data points that you look to that you evaluate your performance by? Firstly, I will always be judged on goals. And that is, I want to score goals. But beyond that, I think it's to lead the line physically, be a presence for the team, to be an outlet for the team when we're against maybe a different opposition and the game changes, maybe we need to be a bit longer to link the play well, to affect the game as much as I can without scoring a goal. And then if you add to score a goal, it's always a bonus. What mental work do you do before a game? Are you a visualiser of the game you're about to play?

13:14Not in too much depth. I've fluctuated throughout my career on what truly worked for me. But I've found that not giving too much thought is actually better for me because the reason you train is repetition. You know, you train repetition. I've done thousands of hours on a football pitch. So by the time the game comes, your body already knows what to do. So my idea is to get out of the head and more into the body and just let the body. Instinct. Play off instinct. Muscle memory. Correct. Goals. What do you do mentally in times of challenge? Is there a ritual that you use then, a methodology? I'm a creature of habit.

13:50So my structure is what keeps me balanced. My structure doesn't change whether I've scored 10 in 10 or none in 10. You know, I continue to do the same things. So I keep the same good habits regardless of the outcomes. and I've been in the game long enough to know that if you are in a difficult moment, the outcome will eventually change. We'll look ahead to the season that is before us. Leeds, new players, new ambition. Club support Harry Wilson over from Fulham. Watching his deliveries, they seem tailor-made out wide for your forehead. What's he like defining a new relationship in training? Yes, it's not been that long so far, but I know a lot about him.

14:30We've played against each other a fair few times. He had an unbelievable season last year and you can see the quality he's got in training already. He's got a nice cultured left foot, which I'm looking forward to playing alongside him and hopefully my game and his game can complement each other and we can work a nice partnership together. Last season, you had the chip on your shoulder to show that you were the right man for the club and the job. You've shown that. How do you reset? What personal goals do you have? What mission have you got for this year? To always score more goals than the season before.

15:01it's always been to try and make this season better than the last that is always my goal and I think that's the main motivation from a personal level that you can need because maybe if you're a midfielder and you don't judge your game on goals there's a clear measurement for me it's however many goals I score determines how good of a season I have and then obviously collectively you can add in that usually is a by-product of me scoring goals is we finish further up the table we can kick on from where we finished last year and all those things, but I'm someone that is intrinsically motivated anyway, so I don't really need anything external to motivate me.

15:38I'm as hungry as ever, and especially after a good season last year, I'm hungry to do more. We've talked before, and I know that you're someone who's very focused on the work to come rather than what you've accomplished in the past, but to me, you are evidence of one constant in life that actually transcends football, that skill can get you so far, but what really matters is tenacity, the ability to persevere, which I believe you really embody, you've really built it, when you look at your own journey what do you think is the most important lesson we should take from it? It sounds very cliche but never give up because success is never in a straight line I've said this before you're always going to have setbacks and you only lose if you stop so there would have been moments where over the last three, four years where it was difficult and my back was against the wall and people are writing me off I'm not good enough to play in the Premier League and this, that and the other regardless of what I'd already accomplished.

16:32So for me, do you accept that or do you make a deal with yourself of, no, this is not the end of me. I've still got much more left to prove and much more left to do, more to myself than anything because we're all just young boys with a dream. I'm a 29-year-old man now, but I'm still a kid inside kicking a ball around a football pitch. So that was something that will never leave me. Amen. I've got to say, may this hanging out with me be the low point of the season to come, Dom. You're an amazing bloke to you, to the season ahead and to your family. Big love. Thanks, Rog. Thanks, sir. Courage. Top, Bob.