Metropolis defender Rico Lewis says his time growing within the UEFA Youth League helped him put together for his senior debut and minutes within the UEFA Champions League.
Aged 16, the Academy graduate made his first Metropolis outing within the Youth League manner again in September 2021, taking part in the ultimate jiffy in our 5-1 win over RB Leipzig.
Lewis would go on to make a complete of six UYL appearances earlier than making the step-up to ’s aspect, being afforded his senior Metropolis debut simply 11 months later.
In October 2022, the now 20-year-old made his UEFA Champions League debut, aged 17, however Lewis revealed how the expertise of taking part in within the Youth League helped put together him for these milestone moments.
“Whenever you play within the [Academy] leagues once you’re youthful, you play towards English groups and though each sport is an enormous sport, it’s nothing like PSG and Actual Madrid and the massive groups that you just clearly watch on TV,” stated Lewis.
“I feel it helps with not getting too amped up about these huge European video games.”
As Lewis talked about, Metropolis performed Paris Saint-Germain within the group stage of the UEFA Youth League, making his full debut within the 1-1 draw with the French outfit earlier than one other UYL stalemate with Membership Brugge.
Lewis went on to attain his first – and solely purpose – within the competitors in our 3-1 house defeat to PSG earlier than ending the group stage on a excessive with a 1-0 win over RB Leipzig.
And it was evident that Lewis mirrored fondly on his time growing his commerce within the Youth League.
“The principle factor I bear in mind is taking part in towards PSG away, that was certainly one of my first video games I performed and clearly I used to be taking part in up a bit of bit so there was a number of combined feelings,” started Lewis.
“Clearly I used to be taking part in towards individuals older than me but additionally taking part in in a match the place you realize more often than not you watch it [Champions League] on TV and it’s the whole lot that comes with it.
“The totally different balls and the whole lot, there’s a number of emotion in it.
“However when it got here all the way down to the sport it was simply soccer. It was a extremely good sport we had two pink playing cards and we nonetheless managed to attract the sport.
“Having older gamers within the group helped me and possibly helped calm my nerves however I used to be nervous however I attempted to make use of that as gas to simply work as exhausting as attainable.
“It was a extremely good sport and one thing I’ll bear in mind for the remainder of my life.
“[When I scored in the reverse leg] I in all probability wasn’t as excited as I might have been usually due to the results of the sport.
“I feel Oscar [Bobb] handed me the ball and it was a pleasant purpose and I used to be actually comfortable however clearly within the warmth of the second you don’t actually give it some thought till after however yeah it was actually good.”
Now, our Underneath-19s face the same robust job in our journey to Denmark and FC Midtjylland for Wednesday’s Spherical of 32 single-leg tie.
And with a younger squad at ’s disposal, Lewis provided some phrases of recommendation for these seeking to comply with the defender in the same trajectory to senior soccer.
“I feel the primary factor is, it’s really easy to say from the surface, however simply attempt to keep as calm as attainable,” stated Lewis.
“Don’t let the event take over the way you wish to take into consideration the sport and it actually helps if you happen to’ve bought a transparent thoughts and simply take into consideration the fundamentals.
“The primary jiffy is the fundamentals of the sport after which the sport will flip into what it’s meant to be.
“Stay centered it doesn’t matter what’s occurring within the league or what’s occurring within the sport, it’s one sport at a time.
“I feel you may’t be wanting too far ahead and you’ll’t be wanting too far behind as properly on what you can have modified or what you’re going to do.
“It’s what you do within the second. Keep optimistic and preserve going.”