The international break is frustrating for fans as their club team is out of action, but for plenty of players it’s a great chance to go away and get some minutes, or just to get some rest and reflect on the season so far.
Filip Jorgensen is still a youth international for Denmark’s U21’s, but a move to the Premier League this summer after just one season as a regular at Villareal means it’s been a hectic few months, and this period will likely be more useful for him than some others.
The Chelsea website took the chance to do a really nice interview with him on the subject of his rise to the top of the game over the last few years.
Like most players, he started off as an attacker when he was very young, and then gradually moved back through the team:
“I was an outfield player then, a striker. When I was six, I joined Malmo. It’s not far. I wanted to try something a bit more difficult. I was too good for [former youth team GIF] Nike!”
Two major moves in youngster’s career which led to Chelsea
Then came the move into goal, which helped him be one of 20 kids selected to continue at Malmo’s academy from an initial 100. After that an even bigger move – to Mallorca when his parents headed to Spain for work.
“The training for goalkeepers [in Spain] was very different at that young age. We didn’t have any goalkeeping coach or trainer in Malmo. In Spain, when I was 12 years old, in a lower team – not even the Mallorca team, it was Penya Arrabal – they had a goalkeeper coach and good training. I learned a lot.”
Various moves back and forth followed, but his Spanish adventure had begun, and it wouldn’t truly end until this summer, when Chelsea moved for the 22 year old after being impressed by his debut season in La Liga.