One on One | Nico O’Reilly on why Man City are 'starting to click' at the right time!

0:04Hello and welcome back to One on One from Sky Sports, the podcast where we chat with some of football's biggest names. I'm Joe Tomlinson. And I'm Juliette Ferrington. And Joe, there does come a time in every reporter's life where footballers, because we've been doing this job a long time now, seem to be getting younger and younger. So first of all, take a listen to this from today's guest. It's Manchester City's Nico O 'Reilly. You talked about your earliest England memory. It makes me feel old. 2014, Brazil World Cup. Yeah, that's what one of my first memories of England was. That was in 2014, Jules, which, by the way, is 12 years ago now, which is an absolutely sickening fact, it feels like yesterday.

0:46It really does. I still have pictures on my phone from the Copacabana in the fan zone watching the World Cup because I was out there working at the time. But yeah, Nico O 'Reilly, Man City's free-scoring midfielder at the moment, slash fullback, 20 years old, tearing up the Premier League, as we know, real breakout season. He also received his first senior England call-up this season. And last week, before Manchester City faced Leeds, I had a chat with him at City's Academy Stadium in the dressing room, a place he knows really well, because it's where he came through those ranks, from schoolboy to the first team.

1:22And as you'll hear, O 'Reilly takes us back to that moment when Pep Guardiola called him up from the academy side into the senior squad. And it's funny to think now, thinking back to 2014, that's his first memory of watching England in a World Cup. Pep Guardiola arrived at Manchester City a couple of years later. So all Nico O 'Reilly has known is Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. So we talk about working under Pep Guardiola. We discuss City's title challenge. They are well and truly in it. And the part also that he's playing a huge part. And he tells me that he thinks the side are starting to click together at the right time.

2:01We also discussed his World Cup ambitions and how he hopes to be on that plane to the States come the summer. So it's my pleasure to introduce Sky Sports 101 this week with Nico O 'Reilly. Here is Nico O 'Reilly. Absolutely magnificent. It is a superb strike from a young man who is right on top of his game. Nico, thanks for joining us. I know it's a really busy time. Things are going so well for Manchester City at the moment, but so well for you as well since signing your last deal back in the autumn of last year. Can you just talk us through those months since you put pen to paper? Yeah, so that was towards the start of the season when I signed the renewal.

2:51And, yeah, things have been pretty good ever since. And, yeah, I just take every day as it comes, every game as it comes, and, yeah, just try my hardest. In what way have things gone well? In terms of on the pitch, game time, performances, bonds I've created with my teammates and the staff, and, yeah, I feel a lot more comfortable. When you talk about those bonds, connections, how important is that for a young player, but a young player who's coming through, grabbing headlines, England as well, call-ups amongst the senior team. How important is that in your own personal development? Yeah, it's very important.

3:33I think the only way to play at your best is to play with confidence and the people around you help you with the confidence. I think since maybe the start of the season and moving on, everyone's helped me out and I think I've grown as a player and a person. Who's been the biggest influence then in these connections that you've made? I wouldn't say anyone in particular. I think everyone as a whole group. Come on. There must be one or two. I'd say the leaders, Bernardo, Ruben, they help me out so much. Whether it's just a little chat off the pitch, whether it's just a little text, it builds a lot of confidence within yourself.

4:14It just makes you want to go out on the pitch and put your all in and work as hard as you can. Not kind of saying that they want to look after you and not revealing the things that they say to you, but can you give us an insight to sort of those kind of messages maybe that pop up on your phone? So maybe if we're going through a difficult situation or a little rough patch and they're like, now it's time for us to get together and I'll work together and we'll get through this. And just a little message like that, to encourage us and inspire us to go and win games and stuff like that. Because I imagine there were quite a lot of those messages last season when you were coming into the team.

4:56Obviously, you know why you were coming into the team, because of the setbacks the team were having with injuries and suspensions and everything else. Yeah, it was a difficult season last year. So yeah, definitely a lot of them conversations were had. And again, this season, there's a lot of new players, a lot of young players. so yeah it's it's been a good challenge to adapt to each other and find out what everyone's good at on the pitch and so yeah it's been good it's been a challenge um but yeah we all get along and we're all enjoying it the one thing Pep Guardiola said I think it was after the Newcastle win that 60-70 percent of the team are new and people are talking about the position that Manchester City are in the run that we all know this team or teams in the past have gone on and He was saying that he's not sure that that could happen again because of the new players.

5:48How do you feel at the moment? I feel good. I feel confident within the team. How does the team feel? The same, confident. We're feeling good. We're in a good position. Obviously, we can be in a better position. As I said, it's just every game now. We just need to get the three points. That's our aim. Do you feel when you talk about the connection at the start of this interview do you feel those connections are now in place amongst all of you and the new players the new surroundings and these connections and it is all clicking into place yeah I think it is I think it is starting to click as I said yeah we we're all enjoying our our time and there's you can say a bit of pressure but yeah we're we're loving it and then yeah we seem to keep going and keep trying to win because the one thing as well that this team does have players within this team the leaders that you talk about muscle memory you know how to do it and they're taking you along for the ride with them yeah it's so important to have players like this within the team um who all who have been there who have done it and then yeah just to help us along the way um obviously all the new players and the young players that have come through so yeah they they definitely help out massively The one thing I saw in an interview that you did when you were called up back in the autumn with England, you talked about your earliest England memory.

7:18It makes me feel old. 2014, Brazil World Cup. Was that when you really started to get into football around that time? So you would have been nine years old. No, I started earlier than that. But you just remember that World Cup in particular? Yeah, that's one of my first memories of England was. but yeah I started around three, four years old Because you've talked about your mum and obviously she brought you up on her own do you remember the car journeys and that sort of thing when you were going to play for Falesworth and you were playing Moston as well wasn't it? Moston Tigers Moston Tigers Falesworth Dynamo Do you remember those car journeys and can you take us back to that time?

8:01So yeah the games would be on Saturdays or Sundays and I just remember I'd go to one game and I'd have to rush go to the other game while she's working. So yeah, it was all a rush and hard work for her, but looking back on it, yeah, it's good memories. You also said that she's kind of lived her life through you, her dedication she's given through you, wanting to see you succeed. So when you come to the academy, what was that like then? Yeah, it's like every goal and achievement I hit is also an achievement for her as well. She puts everything into my career. So, yeah, I'm just grateful for that.

8:43And the goals you said at the start of the season that you had, how many of those have you ticked off so far? Yeah, a few. A few. There's still more that I need to tick off and more I want to achieve. But, yeah, definitely getting there. What are the goals you've ticked off then so far? My England debut, Champions League goal. obviously just playing playing on the team Two goals in one match in the Premier League? I didn't have that one in but I'll take it off You just put that one in somewhere in the middle 2-1, it's O 'Reilly again and they lead again the man with the most predatory instinct turns provider and it's Nico O 'Reilly who's arriving Manchester City 2-1 up The season's not done yet, so there's still a lot more to tick off, and hopefully I'll try and do that.

9:35Going back to 2014, when you remember England in the World Cup, what did you know about Pep Guardiola then? Because he's all you've ever known, isn't he? Yeah. 2016, he came to Manchester City. Yeah. So you were at 11, maybe? Yeah, I remember the first day he came in, and there was a presentation in a car park at CFA. It was like all the captains from the young groups went up to the stage or something, I remember that day. And, yeah, I just remember he was obviously one of the best managers in the world, then came from Barca, came from Bayern, and the things he's achieved there is unbelievable.

10:13Did you know much about him, though, before that particular day? Yeah, I knew a little bit. I didn't know too much. I was still kind of young, but, yeah, I knew a fair bit. And what do you think now, fast-forward to where we are now in 2026. Yeah, it's unbelievable the stuff he's achieved here and where he's brought the club. And yeah, he's done so much for this club and yeah, we've won so much as a club. What a player, I would say. Of course, I give a lot of minutes but he deserves it. The minutes he plays, he deserves it. Does his intensity, does his drive, it rubs off on? It's infectious, isn't it?

10:50I imagine as a player, it rubs off and you just want to do so well for someone like that. Yeah, definitely. He's very passionate about the game and, yeah, he just wants to win, win, win. And I think having this mentality with the manager, yeah, it rubs off on all of us and that's what we're going to do. What's the best piece? I imagine he's given quite a lot of advice. Yeah. What's the best piece, the one piece of advice that sticks with you that has been the most valuable? Yeah, every day he comes out with something new that we all learn from and take in. Yeah, he's great. Maybe take us inside that dressing room.

11:30What is he like? We've seen him, obviously, various documentaries and things like that. What's he been like, though, with you? Yeah, the same. He treats me the same as everyone else. Yeah, he's good. If I need help, he'll be there to help. And if I need to do something better on the pitch, he'll tell me that. but yeah he's always trying to help even after a game if we go and say if we win a game and walk around a picture come over to you and tell you you need to do this this and this and and yeah it's good it helps you it helps you as a person as a as a player because here we're in obviously the academy area you know this this dressing room quite well when you know he wants you to come over and and join the senior setup what was that feeling like what was that conversation like?

12:17It was a bit surreal at first. It was like, I'm really going to be there now with all the first team players, first team staff. And yeah, it was a bit nerve wracking at first, obviously as it would be. But yeah, as I said, as soon as you start growing into the team and building confidence, it kind of then feels normal and I feel like, oh yeah, these are actually my teammates now and when you look at them from the academy they're all superstars and when now I feel like they're my teammates my friends and yeah we're one of them yeah and they're one of you yeah who was your standout who was your player you looked up to the most um Kevin Debron yeah he was such a nice person um so welcoming and then obviously on the pitch we know what Kevin was like yeah so good and i know the grind to get to where you are now is done in the winter months you put yourself in that position i always remember pep telling me at the start of the season see where we are in march and april the hard work's been done now hasn't it through the winter to get you to where you are now yeah i think um these last three months two or three months are the most important obviously it's where things are won isn't it yeah it's where things are won there's been a lot of games there's still a lot of games to come in all competitions but yeah this is this is the time now where everything matters you've seen your teammates do it before go on these runs yeah more than capable of doing it again yeah definitely as I said that's the aim we want to try and win everything and then that's what we're going to try and do and at the end of it whatever the outcome is England, is that on your list?

14:04Yeah, definitely. The World Cup? Definitely. Yeah, it'd be a dream come true to go to the World Cup. I think it was a dream come true to make my debut for them, which I didn't expect coming into the season. But yeah, obviously I'm grateful for that opportunity and I'll keep working hard to try and get myself in the final squad for the summer. It's what gets you there, isn't it? Yeah. The work, determination, graft. Yeah, definitely. Will go well. Enjoy the rest of this season. Thank you very much. Appreciate it. Jules, I absolutely love Nico. I have to say I've worked with him a couple of times.

14:36What a great presence he is for a 21-year-old. He speaks so well given he hasn't done an awful lot of media in the past. And fingers crossed that injury isn't too bad and he's back for England in that international camp ahead of what is going to be, hopefully for him, a very busy summer. Yeah, that's what he's hoping as you heard from that conversation. 21 later this month as well. Six foot four. Big presence as you said there. And the media side of things, when you're so young and you're breaking through into the Premier League, a lot of cameras, a lot of action, a lot of microphones. And it can be quite unnerving.

15:08And I think he's quite, he's a very relaxed person. I think he can be quite shy as well. So for him to articulate and talk so openly as he's done, it just seems to come natural to him. Nothing seems to faze him whatsoever. and he was telling me before we started the conversation that he'd been to London Fashion Week last week with a couple of players as well. A lot of players went to London Fashion Week. Really liked the Burberry show. I think that's where he was papped. But he's not a flash guy in any way, shape or form. He's very much a family first kind of person. His mum definitely comes first because she brought him up as a single parent and she's lived her life through him coming through Manchester City.

15:50And as I say, it just seems a world away from the knee-sliding goal celebrations that we've seen from him this season, perhaps a little bit like his hero, Kevin De Broyder. And I noticed on his right hand as well as we were talking, he had the words, no risk, no story inked in. And that's the way he plays football, isn't it? And look where he's got him, from the academy to City's first team and now the England senior team as well. So what a year it could be for young Nico, 21 later this month, and perhaps maybe a Premier League title, an FA Cup, a League Cup, Champions League. It's not beyond the realms of probability because, as he says, he thinks City are just clicking at the right time.

16:33And who knows, a place at the World Cup for England this summer. So that's it. Thanks for listening to this episode of 101. If you enjoyed the podcast, make sure you give the show a follow wherever you're listening to us so you don't miss out on our next one. You can also watch us on YouTube and Sky Sports News. So look out for our interviews there. Jules, is it another youngster you've got this week? It is. We're going even younger. 19-year-old Lewis Miley, Newcastle's rising star. Had a conversation with him earlier on this year. So an opportunity now presents itself to let you listen to that interview we did.

17:09looking back from his journey from grassroots football and his three brothers to winning the League Cup with Newcastle United, the club he supported all his life. I was on a table on Sunday night next to his table with his brothers and his family in Durham because we picked up the North East Football Writers Award for Young Player of the Year in the North East. He looked well dapper in his bow tie and his dinner suit. 19 year old Lewis Miley will be bringing you that conversation on one on one next week can't wait for it chat to you soon Joes see you soon Joes

17:48hi I'm Tamsin Greenway and I'm Tracey Neville and we've teamed up this season for Sky Netball's Off the Court podcast join us every week as we shoot through the hottest topics in Netball we'll bring you everything you need to know from the Super League to the Super Shop all building towards to the Commonwealth Games. Open up your book of great sporting moments and find this on the cover, in the middle and on the back page. Make sure you give Off The Court a follow where you listen to your podcasts. Or find us on YouTube. That's Off The Court, a Sky Sports podcast.