Cruyff-turning Zlatan, 'meeting' Messi and CR7 in an ice bath: Nine EFL stories

Willy Gnonto: I was too scared to talk to Messi

Even at just 21, Willy Gnonto has met a lot of people in the game.

But it won’t surprise you too much to hear that there was one particular icon who made him too nervous to talk.

Lionel Messi, of course. The two crossed paths at international level during the 2022 Finalissima between Italy and Argentina – when Gnonto was a youngster training with the main squad.

“It was with the national team once,” the Leeds winger recalls. “We played in Wembley but I couldn’t actually speak to him because I was too scared! I couldn’t move.

“I watch a lot of football and try to learn something new from everyone, whether it was from my dad or anyone in football.

“But Messi was my idol growing up. I’d watch his videos every time and try to replicate what he was doing.”

When Nat Phillips Cruyff-turned Zlatan

“It’s not like I thought, ‘I’m going to do something to try and showboat here!’ says Nat Phillips, the Liverpool defender currently on loan at Derby County.

Of course, he’s referring to the famous incident in 2021, when he, as a no-nonsense defender, saw fit to Cruyff-turn out of his own box past Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who was with AC Milan.

“I was actually going to whack it out of play. But out of the corner of my eye, I saw Zlatan closing me down from the angle.

“I think he was trying to read me smashing it out, so I just kind of naturally had a quick change of mind. I rolled my studs over it and turned out the way.

“Afterwards I could hear the reactions of my team-mates and the stadium, so I know it must have looked nice.

“It was only when I saw the replays after it that I really got to see it properly for myself.”

How Grimes became Swansea’s ‘Mr Reliable’

Swansea’s Matt Grimes says the way he was brought up by his parents has helped him become the uber-reliable player he is today.

The 29-year-old midfielder has made 324 appearances for the Swans since joining in January 2015 and missed just four league games across the six seasons prior to 2024/25.

“It’s kind of become a thing just through the way I was raised; my mum and dad always wanted the best for me,” he says. “You can’t go out on a Saturday if you’ve just played or you’ve got a game on Tuesday.

“Anything that was going to hamper performance was discouraged and I’ve taken that into my life and how I live now. I’ll not do anything that puts me in a bad spot or means I can’t train or anything like that.

“If I play on the Saturday and got another game on the Tuesday, I’m just thinking, right, played the Saturday, now I’ve got to do the Tuesday and then I’ve got to do the next Saturday – and it has just rolled into 336 games.

“It’s just living right. The majority of footballers know what’s good for your body and what’s bad for your body, so do as many good things as you can and do as few bad things as you can.

“There are exceptions from time to time and everyone likes to let their hair down once in a while and that’s completely normal. But if you’re 90%, 95% perfect – not perfect, but living correctly – then you won’t go far wrong.”
By Dan Long

Bramall: My time at Arsenal was a whirlwind

Even now, nearly a decade later, it still feels like it was all a bit of a dream for Cohen Bramall.

One minute he was playing in the Northern Premier League for Hednesford Town, the next he had left the seventh tier and been signed by Arsenal after a short trial.

He was 20, and had gone from working in a car factory before Christmas, to training under Arsene Wenger in January.

“The first three months were difficult,” Bramall – who now plays for Rotherham United in League One – admits.

“I just couldn’t believe it happened I’ll be honest. I was talking to my grandma about it the other night.

“It was just one of those things that happened so rapidly. I didn’t expect anything, especially not from one of the biggest clubs in the world – after I had been told no by previous professional clubs, and not even top-tier ones.

“When I got offered the contract I just froze a bit. It felt like I was somewhere else.”

Cadamarteri: I want to surpass my dad’s legacy

For fans of a certain vintage, the name Cadamarteri will ring a bell or two. But Bailey Cadamarteri, son of former Everton forward Danny, is forging his own path in the game.

“It does add that little bit of pressure because obviously you’ll get people saying: ‘oh his dad’s an ex-pro’ and that’s why he’s here,” the 19-year-old says.

“But it’s good to have that reputation because I like to prove people wrong. I prefer it. I wouldn’t want it any other way.

“He’s been to the places where I want to get, so he’s a big part of it, and the information and pointers he can give me does help me quite a lot.

“I was a bit too young to remember when he was playing in the Premier League. But I do remember little glimpses of the back end of his career before he had to retire through injury.

“It’s everyone’s dream to represent your country and win the World Cup. But in the shorter term I’d love to beat my dad’s legacy. He played in the Premier League and scored a few goals, so if I can go on and do better than him I think I’ll have done well.”

Wing: My non-league past keeps me grounded

Lewis Wing never takes his playing career for granted, having come through non-league.

“I was working at a shower company, basically packing up showers and putting them on a wagon,” the Reading midfielder recalls of his time before he left tenth-tier Shildon to join Middlesbrough.

“Two of my best mates worked there at the time, so it was just like going to work with your mates – like it is now! But obviously a little bit harder.”

Wing, now 29, does not forget what it was like to join the professional ranks late. It is a lesson he tries to pass on to the youngsters in the squad.

“Obviously I’ve worked in the ‘so-called’ real world so I know what it means to get into professional football,” he says.

“I want the young lads to grasp it with both hands and realise this is the best job in the world, and you don’t want to be on the other side of it.”

Aljofree: Cristiano Ronaldo once got into my ice bath!

Sonny Aljofree has grown up in the Manchester United academy, and there is one experience that stands out from his time at their Carrington training ground more than any other.

A close encounter with Cristiano Ronaldo.

“When he came back to United I was a bit older,” 20-year-old Aljofree, currently on loan at Accrington in League Two, recalls. “I trained with him a couple of times.

“Then there was one time I was recovering in an ice bath and he came out of the sauna with Diogo Dalot and Casemiro and then got into the same ice bath as me.

“Then he’s just sat there talking to me, like asking me questions. It just shows that even though we all see him as kind of a god, he is still human and a great guy.”

Aljofree laughs when asked if he was able to talk back to such an icon of the game.

“You’ve got to play it cool and speak back to him!” he jokes. “I was answering his questions but also just staring at him. But we had a good 10-minute chat and then he got back in the sauna!”

The Chesterfield striker who was once a Ballon d’Or contender

It was 2016. A year of strange events. Few moreso than Will Grigg, then of League One side Wigan and Northern Ireland, becoming the most-sung name on the continent during that summer’s European Championship.

‘Will Grigg’s On Fire’ is still belted out by football fans everywhere. It was a phenomenon. The striker even came 25th in the Ballon d’Or list that year, level with Paul Pogba, and Giorgio Chiellini. He finished ahead of Kevin De Bruyne and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

“Things have definitely changed since then! But it’s nice to still be having these conversations,” Grigg – now at Chesterfield in League Two – says with a big grin.

“It does seem quite bizarre looking back. I’m 33 now and you don’t really take it in when you’re younger. I look at that phase when everything was incredible for myself on and off the pitch. I was just focused on the football side of it and you don’t necessarily take the rest in.

“Now I’m enjoying myself but trying to take in those moments. And I still hope I’ve got three or four more years left in me. I love the game and I’m going to drag this out as much as I can.”

Cameron Evans: I got my Newport trial through LinkedIn!

Every player in the EFL has a unique story of how they got into the professional game.

Cameron Evans’ one, is particularly fascinating.

“I got a trial through messaging the club on LinkedIn!” the Newport County defender, who joined in the summer after leaving Taunton Town in the National League South.

“It’s not a usual thing, but I was always looking at ways and opportunities of getting my name out there at that time. I got told that there are a lot of clubs and scouts and coaches on LinkedIn.

“I always kept my profile up to date and I had all my clips on there and I managed to get a trial at Newport. I was just buzzing to even get a reply as much as anything.

“I heard that they were bringing in a lot of players. So I gave a message over and said I’m going to be out of contract, I’m looking at my options for next year and I’d be really grateful for the opportunity to come down and train.”

Boxing Day EFL fixtures on Sky Sports+

All 3pm kick-off unless stated (games in bold also on Sky Sports Football)

• CH: Blackburn vs Sunderland, Bristol City vs Luton, Coventry vs Plymouth, Middlesbrough vs Sheff Wed, Norwich vs Millwall, Oxford vs Cardiff, Preston vs Hull, Sheff Utd vs Burnley, Swansea vs QPR, Watford vs Portsmouth, Derby vs West Brom (5.30pm), Stoke vs Leeds (8pm)
• L1: Leyton Orient vs Crawley (1pm), Birmingham vs Burton, Bolton vs Barnsley, Charlton vs Cambridge, Exeter vs Bristol Rovers, Huddersfield vs Stockport, ​​​​Peterborough vs Mansfield, Reading vs Northampton, Shrewsbury vs Lincoln, Stevenage vs Wycombe, Wrexham vs Blackpool
• L2: AFC Wimbledon vs Swindon, Bradford vs Port Vale, Bromley vs Newport, Carlisle vs Morecambe, Cheltenham vs Crewe, Colchester vs Gillingham, Fleetwood vs Chesterfield, Grimsby vs Harrogate, MK Dons vs Notts County, Salford vs Barrow, Tranmere vs Accrington, Walsall vs Doncaster