Ben Chilwell: "Mentally, you have to be in it"
A key part of RC Strasbourg's strong season -- the club remain involved in three competitions -- veteran English defender Ben Chilwell recently spoke to l'Équipe about his pre-match rituals from the superstitious to the mundane. Catch up with "Chilly" with excerpts from his interview:
At what point do you really get into the game?
"If we're playing away, it's the day before because we're already there. Mentally, you have to be in it. Otherwise, it's on the plane, on the bus. When we're at home, it's when we all get together at the hotel in the morning that we're really focused."
Are you able to sleep?
"I sleep everywhere, super easily. In England, they say I could "sleep on a clothesline"! Everyone close to me will tell you, it always amazed my mom; she used to ask my teammates if they were the same. For example, I slept the whole flight to Sweden when we played Häcken (a 2-1 victory on November 6th in the Conference League). Sleep is crucial. The night before a game, I get nine hours of sleep."
Do you have a particular seat on the bus?
"It's funny because nobody ever has an assigned seat, but we always end up sitting in the same place. I'm next to Emmanuel Emegha. Andrew Omobamidele is in front of us, and Samuel Amo-Ameyaw is behind. The French are in the back. The Latinos are in the front, with their maté."
“It’s important we go there with the mindset to win the match”
Hear from Chilly ahead of #OMRCSA 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/sBERzadF9u— Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace English (@RCSA_English) February 14, 2026
Do you listen to music to concentrate?
"Always! It's a good way to get into your zone. Everyone has their headphones. I used to listen to a lot of hip-hop; it really motivated me. I've changed. I don't really have a playlist; I just put it on shuffle. Every time, the algorithm plays Fleetwood Mac for me, I don't understand why. Right now, I'm really into Olivia Dean's new album, especially the track "Man I Need." I think everyone's going to laugh at me, but I love it; it's chill."
Which stadium impressed you the most during the pre-match pitch inspection?
"San Siro (Milan), without a doubt. You walk onto the pitch, kickoff is in an hour and a half, but the stadium is packed, the booing is loud. You can feel the hostility that's going to be there. And then there's also the Santiago Bernabéu. Playing a match at Real Madrid, the club I was a huge fan of as a child, was a kind of personal culmination. I had goosebumps. The stadium is incredible. It was very symbolic. I could picture myself in my Real Madrid jerseys, when I was 5 years old and went on holiday to Spain with my parents."
What's your routine like in the locker room?
"First, I take a shot of energy drink. I never eat anything. Then, I get a hamstring massage. I do my stretches, warm up. And then there are my little superstitions. I never wear cycling shorts under my shorts. I always put the sock meant for my right foot (it has an R on it) on my left foot first. Then the other one on the right. This switch comes from a match I won when I was younger, and I've never changed it since. I put on my shoes and tie like four or five double knots because I hate it when the laces drag. That used to happen a lot when I had Adidas World Cup or Copa Mundial shoes.
Just before the match, do you stay in your own bubble or do you talk with the others?
"I take off my headphones and I'm in the zone then. We talk about the match. For example, against Lille, I talked a lot with Mamadou Sarr about the upcoming match against Olivier Giroud, with whom I played at Chelsea. I told him what he liked to do, his weaknesses."
CHILLY 🥶 #LOSCRCSA pic.twitter.com/URlkzg4K2O
— Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace English (@RCSA_English) January 25, 2026
Is there a pre-match talk that has stood out for you?
"I immediately think of Thomas Tuchel's before the Champions League final (1-0 against Manchester City, May 29, 2021; Chilwell played the full 90 minutes). He gave us a whole speech about his sneakers. It was quite surprising. He told us he only wore that model for finals and that he'd changed the color from the previous year, when he lost with PSG (0-1 against Bayern Munich, August 23, 2020). It was funny and it took a lot of pressure off us at the time. After we won the title, we drank beer and champagne from his shoes."
Do you have any superstitions just before kickoff?
"Little things, yes. I walk onto the pitch touching the grass. I do five or ten high knees. I sprint diagonally towards the fans, back and forth, before we all form a circle to get pumped up. I don't pray, I do spatial visualization. And I wait for the whistle."
