EFL stories: The Chilean star, the Brazilian adventure & the World Cup winner | Football News

Ben Brereton Diaz on his Chile adventure so far

Sometimes Ben Brereton Diaz, the lad from Stoke-on-Trent, still has to pinch himself as a reminder of the fact he is a superstar in a South American nation.

Since 2021, when a group of fans began a social media campaign to get him called up after noticing he was Chilean on Football Manager, he was won 42 caps and scored 10 times.

“Every time I go there, I really enjoy it,” the Derby forward said. “The support we got over there is amazing.

“It was a crazy time when I first went and got my call up. And the amount of love I got over there was amazing. Obviously scoring some goals and playing a lot of games.

“I’m just happy to be a part of that and making my family proud that they’re living in Chile, they’re living in England. It’s a really good thing.

I’m really happy I made the decision to do that because the experiences you get from it has been amazing. I’ve learned a lot over there. Every time I get called up, it’s great to go there and hopefully more call-ups are coming.”

Unfortunately for Brereton Diaz, Chile have failed to qualify for the last two World Cups. But he believes they are building a squad for the future that can get back to the main stage.

“We obviously didn’t make the World Cup this time, which we were gutted about. But that will just drive us on,” he added.

“We’ve got a lot of young talent coming through. Now we’re just building that, and it’s looking really good for the future.”

Terry Devlin on his breakthrough campaign at Portsmouth

It has been a challenging season for Portsmouth at the wrong end of the Championship table, but for Terry Devlin it has still been a breakthrough campaign.

The Northern Irishman, aged 22, has been Pompey’s standout player – used either as a right-back or a right wing-back.

“There have been ups and downs for the team, but on a personal note I’ve really been enjoying it,” says Devlin. “It’s my first real season playing consistent minutes, so that’s been a big positive. Hopefully I can finish the season strongly.

“Of course, I’d prefer the team to be in a more comfortable position, and hopefully we can achieve that games. But it’s been nice to put my marker down and play consistently week in, week out.”

Devlin also credits his hard work and professionalism for his impressive upturn this season.

“It really comes down to consistency,” he adds. “Day in, day out, I’ve been doing the same things as I did last year and the year before. Over time, that consistency starts to show in your performances. It’s about being a good professional and working as hard as you can every day.

“I just need to keep being consistent and doing the same things that have been working. I’ll keep learning from the senior players and improving parts of my game. Hopefully that will help me keep progressing and reach the level I want to get to.”

Jamal Lewis on his time in Sao Paulo

It was a one of the more left-field moves of the 2024 summer window. From Watford on loan the season before, Jamal Lewis then made a temporary switch from Newcastle to Sao Paulo in Brazil.

“It was a little bit late in the window when it happened,” Lewis – now at Preston, recalls. “It sounded like a great opportunity. Obviously I’d been aware of, as we all know, what Brazilian football is globally.

“I felt like it was a good opportunity to showcase myself in a different market. And to see a different culture, the country, the people and the league itself, it was an amazing experience.”

Sadly for Lewis, his experience was cut short. Two months after his arrival, he was injured on international duty and he returned to Newcastle a short while later after just six appearances.

“I didn’t get to explore too much of Brazil in the end, other than travelling to games,” he added. “Even Sao Paulo is such a big city. You could drive for an hour and still be in a similar area.

“It was a breath of fresh air really. The only thing that I regret is not being able to speak Portuguese to be able to really communicate and connect to people more. But I definitely want to visit again later in my life.”

Imran Louza on being made Watford captain

Imran Louza has become Watford’s captain and leader at the age of 26.

He has worn the armband for the majority of this season, inheriting the role permanently from Moussa Sissoko after he left for Panathanaikos in February.

“It takes time to be a captain,” Louza says. “If I was in France it would be easier for me to talk with players, but now after five years here I try to be behind the guys.

“I respect them and they respect me. That’s the best way to manage it. I’ve always felt this leadership, it comes naturally to me.”

He tries to lead more by example on the pitch, than by his words in the dressing room. But he is learning the more audible side of the role as he goes!

“I always put my heart, my passion, my runs, everything on the pitch,” he adds. “Sometimes I try to talk more with the guys and shout as well because the captain is responsible for that.

“I try to be positive and help the team. Sometimes you have to shout because they need it. You can’t be nice all the time. I’m competitive and I want to win every game. That helps me a lot.”

Steven Nzonzi on winning the World Cup with France

It is not too often you get World Cup winners playing in the Championship, and Steven Nzonzi smiles when he remembers the finest day of his career in back in 2018.

In the 55th minute at the Luzhniki Stadium, he entered the pitch with France leading 2-1 against Croatia in the final, replacing, of all people, N’Golo Kante.

“It was a lot of pressure,” he recalls. “I came on for probably the best player in the tournament. But you’re just so focused and so locked in, it’s like everything else fades away.

“You don’t want to replace N’Golo and not be good enough, especially in the final. I was lucky because when I get on, it was 2-1 we scored a couple more in the next five or 10 minutes. I was relieved and I just played the best I could.”

It was when the fourth went in, scored by Kylian Mbappe, that Nzonzi really started to believe he would become a world champion.

“Yeah, it was at 4-1,” he adds. “I remember where we were looking at each other, or at least me, I remember that I looked at a few players and thinking that might be it.

“So even when they scored the second goal, it didn’t really matter. We knew that we were not going to lose that game. So that’s the moment we realized we were champions.”

And such was the blur afterwards, Nzonzi does not even remember when he first got his hands on the most famous trophy in the world.

“After the game we just went to see the fans. We got some French flag. I remember going to see my son. I don’t know if I get to touch the trophy before that or after that, there was just too much happening!

“But there are so many good memories. The picture of the trophy in my hand, the medal. Things you cannot forget for a lifetime.”

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