The Football Interview Season 1, Episode 22: Granit Xhaka

1

Wayne Rooney

Former England captain Wayne Rooney talks to Kelly Somers about his love of musicals, family life and more.

15 min

2

Marc Guéhi

Kelly Somers talks to Marc Guéhi, the Crystal Palace and England defender. They chat about his desire to keep on playing until he’s 40, how he’d love to be a WWE wrestler if he wasn’t a footballer, plus his love of drumming and music.

14 min

3

Jarrod Bowen

West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen talks about his Dad’s potato field ‘boot camp’, family life with wife Dani Dyer and winning the Europa Conference League trophy with the Hammers.

14 min

4

Lucy Bronze

Kelly Somers chats to England’s most decorated female footballer Lucy Bronze. She talks about being rejected by England as a young player, her proud Portuguese heritage, about winning Euro 2025 with the Lionesses and playing the entire tournament with a fractured leg.

14 min

5

Bruno Fernandes

Kelly Somers in conversation with Bruno Fernandes.

14 min

6

Alessia Russo

Kelly Somers speaks to Alessia Russo, two-time European champion with the Lionesses and a Champions League winner with Arsenal last season.

15 min

7

Andoni Iraola

Kelly Somers speaks to the Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola. He talks about life growing up in the Spanish city of San Sebastián, his love of reading books and why family is so important to him.

14 min

8

Hugo Ekitike

Kelly Somers sits down with the Liverpool forward, Hugo Ekitike. The Frenchman joined the Premier League champions this summer from Eintracht Frankfurt. He chats to Kelly about his childhood, playing alongside Mo Salah and how he loves to draw!

14 min

9

Brendan Rodgers

Kelly Somers talks to Brendan Rodgers about the 'unique pressure' of managing his current club, Celtic, his hope of managing 1,000 games, and how winning the Championship play-off with Swansea City in 2011 to take them to the Premier League propelled his career to another level.

14 min

10

Reece James

Kelly Somers talks to Chelsea captain and right back Reece James. They chat about how he began his footballing life as a striker, his love of fashion and his friendship with seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton.

11 min

11

Jordan Pickford

Kelly Somers speaks to Everton and England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. They discuss ambitions for his club side this season, breaking Gordon Banks’s record for the number of consecutive clean sheets for England and his love of motocross.

14 min

12

Emma Hayes

In a wide-ranging interview, Kelly Somers speaks to Emma Hayes, the head coach of the United States women’s national team.

14 min

13

Bukayo Saka

Kelly Somers speaks to the Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka. They discuss why Arsenal was always going to be his club, his unusual breakfast choices when he was a kid, and learning the art of being a barista.

14 min

14

Ole Gunnar Solskjær

Kelly Somers in conversation with Ole Gunnar Solskjær.

14 min

15

Mauricio Pochettino

Kelly Somers in conversation with Mauricio Pochettino.

13 min

16

Bernardo Silva

Kelly Somers speaks to Manchester City captain and Portugal midfielder Bernardo Silva. He talks about being part of a City generation that he feels was one of the best in English football, the influence Pep Guardiola has had on him and why he’s called his two dogs John and Charles!

13 min

17

Yaya Touré

Kelly Somers speaks to former Manchester City, Barcelona and Côte d'Ivoire midfielder Yaya Touré, who talks about leaving Africa as a 17-year-old to pursue his football career in Europe, the sibling rivalry with his brother Kolo and why he took up coaching.

14 min

18

Best Bits

Over six months, Kelly Somers has spoken to a number of current and former players and managers who have opened up about their careers in the game and life away from it. This episode features some of the stand-out moments from those interviews.

15 min

19

Oliver Glasner

Kelly Somers speaks to Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner about his journey into football, growing up in a single-parent household and how his playing career was cut short.

14 min

20

João Palhinha

Kelly Somers speaks to Spurs midfielder João Palhinha. He talks about growing up in Portugal and the importance of family, his love of tennis away from football, and the coaches who have helped shape his career.

14 min

21

Florian Wirtz

Kelly Somers speaks to Liverpool's attacking midfielder, Florian Wirtz. The 22-year-old talks about how he wanted to be an instant success when he joined Liverpool.

13 min

22

Granit Xhaka

Kelly Somers speaks to Sunderland and former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka. He talks about why he wanted to return to the Premier League and join the Black Cats, how he reflects on his falling-out with Arsenal's fans in 2019 and his respect for Mikel Arteta.

22 min

23

Roberto Martínez

Kelly Somers speaks to the Portugal manager Roberto Martínez. They talk about his journey into football, managing Wigan Athletic to their historic FA Cup win against Manchester City in 2013, the golden generation of players he managed with Belgium, and working with Cristiano Ronaldo.

14 min

24

Michael Carrick

Mark Chapman in conversation with Michael Carrick.

14 min

25

Leah Williamson

Kelly Somers in conversation with Leah Williamson.

14 min

26

Nathan Collins

In this week's edition, Kelly Somers speaks to the Brentford and Republic of Ireland captain Nathan Collins.

12 min

27

James Milner

Kelly Somers speaks to Brighton midfielder James Milner about his football journey and how the game has changed during his career.

18 min

28

Ollie Watkins

Kelly Somers in conversation with Ollie Watkins.

14 min

29

Elliot Anderson

Kelly Somers in conversation with Elliot Anderson.

14 min

30

Wayne Rooney Meets Bruno Fernandes

Wayne Rooney in conversation with Bruno Fernandes.

20 min