Levi Colwill sits behind a table at Chelsea‘s training ground and leafs through his catalogue of Wembley memories.
The time the Chelsea defender first stepped out of the tunnel in a final, not as a player but as an 11-year-old mascot for non-league Sholing when his uncles Barry, Bryan and Marvin beat West Aukland Town to lift the FA Vase.
He remembers, too, making his playing debut there eight years later, a day that ended far less euphorically as his own goal in the Championship play-off final for Huddersfield sent Nottingham Forest into the Premier League.
There was the disappointment of being left on the bench for Brighton while on loan last season for the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United. More joyous was making his England bow at Wembley in October against Australia.
Colwill remembers, too, driving there with his dad to watch Chelsea, the club he joined aged eight, beat Tottenham in the League Cup final in 2015. He remembers playing against Spurs academy that morning. He remembers John Terry leading out the team. He remembers the pitchside flames.
Chelsea defender Levi Colwill has insisted he will be himself as he follows the path of legends
Thedefender may start for the Blues in the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool at Wembley
What he didn’t remember was Mauricio Pochettino was in charge of Tottenham that day. ‘Was he?!’ asks Colwill in a tone that suggests he’ll be reminding his boss of that when he next sees him. ‘Up the Chels!’
‘To be in a similar position now, is amazing,’ he adds. ‘I wouldn’t have believed it when I was little kid.’
He’ll make another memory this afternoon when he walks out at Wembley to face Liverpool in the League Cup final and he’ll draw on all the ones that went before.
‘Walking out with all of my uncles for Sholing and seeing all of our family there, that meant a lot,’ says Colwill. ‘I was so young and they were so proud. You could feel the excitement and the emotions. To be on the other side, playing, was all I ever looked for.
‘I surprised myself in that Championship play-off final in how I went out to play. We didn’t win but I still felt ready. I felt excited. I didn’t feel nervous. A lot of emotions could have got into that but I was really proud of myself.
‘To play there for England and now, hopefully, to win a trophy is amazing. I feel like I’ll be more than ready.’
Colwill first stepped out of Wembley tunnel aged 11, when he acted as a mascot for Sholing
An impressive young man, Colwill speaks and plays with a maturity beyond his years
Colwill is an impressive young man. Like England team-mate Jude Bellingham, he speaks – and plays – with a maturity and authority beyond his years. Colwill turns 21 tomorrow. He kept Erling Haaland at bay in the draw against Man City.
It’s easy to see why Pochettino handed him the armband against Manchester United, making Colwill the youngest Chelsea captain since legendary Ray Wilkins in 1977.
It’s also easy to see why many fans have likened him, already, to John Terry. A centre-back from the Chelsea academy who’s comfortable on the ball and has gone on to captain the club at a young age… who also wears the No.26 shirt made iconic by Terry.
In fairness, it’s always been Colwill’s number. He wore it at Huddersfield – and it’s his birthday. He didn’t phone up Terry to ask for it either, like former incumbent Kalidou Koulibaly.
Many others may shy away from the weight of such a number. How many Newcastle strikers have struggled to wear No.9 since Alan Shearer? How many at Manchester United floundered in No.7 since Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Alexis Mac Allister turned down the chance to wear the No.8 shirt in the footsteps of Steven Gerrard.
It’s easy to see why Colwill was given the captain’s armband against Manchester United
‘For Chelsea fans, for JT, it’s a big number but I have confidence in myself to be my own person,’ says Colwill. ‘The big thing about stepping into this number is you can get carried away by the presence of it. But I am coming in to play as myself and not be John Terry because you will never be able to replace the legend that he was.’
Terry returned to Chelsea in the summer to work with the academy. ‘A really big thing for everyone – the staff and the players – is we always see him up in the canteen,’ adds Colwill.
‘When he was walking around at Chelsea when I was growing up, you think “there is the captain”. He still has that aura. I can learn so much from him just from a casual conversation.
‘This is a young squad. If I pick up that leadership part of him and add it to my own qualities I think I can help out a lot more. I do need to have a conversation with him.’
Colwill already feels he’s coming out of his shell. ‘If something is not going right, I can go and tell people. Last year, I was letting things happen.
‘I see myself as someone that can pass knowledge on, even though I’m so young. I’ve done a season in the Premier League, played in the Championship, played in finals – I’ve done things. If I can give anyone a bit of advice, I’m going to be there and they can sponge as much as possible from me to make the team better.’
John Terry, who returned to Chelsea to work with the academy, is an inspiration for Colwill
Like Terry, he speaks like a leader. Terry, though, is not the only Chelsea defensive colossus with whom Colwill has drawn comparisons. Former Blues defender William Gallas said Colwill can be the ‘heir’ to Thiago Silva in the heart of the Chelsea defence.
‘It’s crazy playing with him,’ says Colwill. ‘When I was 15, I was going through a bad patch. My mum and my dad used to make me watch his games.
‘I was never the strongest or fastest or biggest. I was small for my age. They used to make me watch him and I used to think, “He’s so good!”
‘To be in the same changing room, I was a bit nervous at first. Then to step on the pitch with him, I was a bit like, “I don’t want the ball from him, don’t pass him the ball” because the standards are so high’.
‘You admire everything he does. When he plays a pass to me, I think, “How has he played it? What technique has he used?” I try to pick up things like that. Hopefully one day I can be as good as him.’
Colwill knows to become a Chelsea legend it begins with days like today. ‘Chelsea’s culture is winning,’ he says. ‘That’s it, really. That’s all Chelsea knows: to win. To be a legend, you’ve got to win trophies.’
Colwill has also admitted it is ‘crazy’ for him to be playing alongside Thiago Silva (pictured)
He knows how to do that. Colwill was part of the England under-21 side that beat Spain in the final of the Euros last year.
If he is to get that first piece of club silverware, he’ll have to put family loyalty aside – both his mum Deborah and his dad Levi support Liverpool.
‘I don’t know why, they’re from Southampton! My dad’s a real Liverpool fan. He tells me all the news, all the injuries, if they’re on a run. But, of course, they want me to win!’
Levi Senior couldn’t help but badger his son in the summer when rumours spread that Liverpool wanted to sign his son. Chelsea, meanwhile, turned down a £30million bid from Brighton to keep him.
The banter works both ways, even if Colwill can’t bring himself to remind his old man of the time Gerrard slipped against Chelsea and Liverpool blew the title. ‘No, no, I can’t do that! He always looks up to Gerrard so I can never do that. But if we beat them on Sunday, I’ll give him a bit of stick. Last season at Brighton when we won 3-0 I gave him a bit and he didn’t like it!’
Colwill grew up next to Southampton’s St Mary’s Stadium and honed his talents in the steel cages nearby with the older kids.
Ahead of the final, Colwill has reflected on his upbringing and the sacrifices people made
‘I was always the youngest. I was four or five and there would be 15-year-olds in there. I didn’t care. I would just run around and tackle people. I enjoyed battling with older boys because when it came to my own age group I never had a problem. When I was technically good, they wouldn’t treat me like a young person so it made me mature quicker. I’m grateful for it. I’m still so close to everyone in that area. I built friendships.’
Colwill thought of them all on Saturday night. He always does before a big game. He thinks back to the early days, to the sacrifices people made.
‘The night before a big game I always like to think back to those moments,’ he says. ‘It eggs me on and gives me motivation because of how much my parents did for me driving all the way up from Southampton. They would never complain. My little brother would be in the car and would never complain. Those things give me that bit of anger I need. That bite really gets me going before games.’
Anger?
‘Because I’m very laid back, people might think that I don’t have that in me or might not want to win every ball or don’t care as much. Inside it’s a lot more than that. Every challenge that comes up, I’ve got to win, I’ve got to beat my opponent, that’s the kind of person I am. My parents and my family have worked so hard for me – I can’t let that go to waste.’
A trophy this afternoon will be a shining reminder that it hasn’t. It’ll also have a say on the birthday celebrations.
‘It depends if we win – that makes a big difference. It will be much better if we win.’
