Chilwell reveals who helped him through World Cup heartbreak

The mega event was won by Argentina

By Web Desk
March 22, 2023
Ben Chilwell during a training session — AFP 

Ben Chilwell has revealed that fellow full-back Reece James supported him when he was ruled out of the last year’s FIFA World Cup due to a hamstring injury.

James also missed the mega event due to a knee injury bearing in mind the fact that the duo were firmly in line for a call-up.

“Weirdly, it was nice that we had each other during that time as it was someone you could share the pain of missing a World Cup with,” said Chilwell

“We were at a training camp in Abu Dhabi with Chelsea for the knockout games. I was cheering the team on. We watched it as a team really.

“We put it up in the hotel and sat down after dinner to watch the games every night. Of course, when you have a lot of different nationalities and players supporting different teams.

“All the banter was in a light-hearted nature. It was nice to watch the games together. Me and Reece helped each other and we are both stronger and playing well with our clubs at the moment.”

However, Chilwell is upbeat ahead of the UEFA Euro Qualifiers.

“I think mentally it was very challenging. Of course, the Euros I was there and the World Cup, I wasn’t there. It was a different kind of challenge. It kind of gets sprung on you so you don’t have much time to adapt,” Chilwell said, when facing the media ahead of England’s match against Italy on Thursday night.

“I just thought how can I turn this situation into a positive and work on myself as a footballer and a person. I tried to spend a lot of time with my family, get away from it a bit and reset.

“Now, mentally I feel refreshed and ready to go again. That’s pretty much the way I’ve tried to look at the injuries I’ve had and try to spin it into a situation where I can help myself to be better to help Chelsea and England.”

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