The Football Interview — Season 1

Former England captain Wayne Rooney talks to Kelly Somers about his love of musicals, family life and more.

Kelly Somers talks to Marc Guéhi, the Crystal Palace and England defender. They chat about his desire to keep on playing until he's 40, how he'd love to be a WWE wrestler if he wasn't a footballer, plus his love of drumming and music.

West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen talks about his Dad's potato field ‘boot camp', family life with wife Dani Dyer and winning the Europa Conference League trophy with the Hammers.

Kelly Somers chats to England's most decorated female footballer Lucy Bronze. She talks about being rejected by England as a young player, her proud Portuguese heritage, about winning Euro 2025 with the Lionesses and playing the entire tournament with a fractured leg.

Kelly Somers in conversation with Bruno Fernandes.

Kelly Somers speaks to Alessia Russo, two-time European champion with the Lionesses and a Champions League winner with Arsenal last season. She talks to Kelly about being a mascot for Casey Stoney when she was an academy player at Charlton, how going to college in the United States proved a pivotal point in her career, and about her friendships with Lotte Wubben-Moy and Ella Toone.

Kelly Somers speaks to the Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola. He talks about life growing up in the Spanish city of San Sebastián, playing football on the beach with Mikel Arteta and Xabi Alonso, his love of reading books as a means of switching off from football and why family is so important to him.

Kelly Somers sits down with the Liverpool forward, Hugo Ekitike. The Frenchman joined the Premier League champions this summer from Eintracht Frankfurt. He chats to Kelly about his childhood, playing alongside Mo Salah and how he loves to draw!

Kelly Somers talks to Brendan Rodgers about the 'unique pressure' of managing his current club, Celtic, his hope of managing 1,000 games, and how winning the Championship play-off with Swansea City in 2011 to take them to the Premier League propelled his career to another level.

elly Somers talks to Chelsea captain and right back Reece James. They chat about how he began his footballing life as a striker, his love of fashion and his friendship with seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton.

Kelly Somers speaks to Everton and England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. They discuss ambitions for his club side this season, breaking Gordon Banks's record for the number of consecutive clean sheets for England and his love of motocross.

Kelly Somers talks to USA manager Emma Hayes, who previously guided Chelsea to seven FA Women's Super League titles.

Kelly Somers speaks to the Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka. They discuss why Arsenal was always going to be his club, his unusual breakfast choices when he was a kid, and learning the art of being a barista.

Kelly Somers in conversation with Ole Gunnar Solskjær.

Kelly Somers in conversation with Mauricio Pochettino.

Kelly Somers speaks to Manchester City captain and Portugal midfielder Bernardo Silva. He talks about being part of a City generation that he feels was one of the best in English football, the influence Pep Guardiola has had on him and why he's called his two dogs John and Charles!

Kelly Somers speaks to former Manchester City, Barcelona and Côte d'Ivoire midfielder Yaya Touré, who talks about leaving Africa as a 17-year-old to pursue his football career in Europe, the sibling rivalry with his brother Kolo and why he took up coaching.

Over six months, Kelly Somers has spoken to a number of current and former players and managers who have opened up about their careers in the game and life away from it. This episode features some of the stand-out moments from those interviews.

Kelly Somers speaks to Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner about his journey into football, growing up in a single-parent household and how his playing career was cut short.

Kelly Somers speaks to Spurs midfielder João Palhinha. He talks about growing up in Portugal and the importance of family, his love of tennis away from football, and the coaches who have helped shape his career.

Kelly Somers speaks to Liverpool's attacking midfielder, Florian Wirtz. The 22-year-old talks about how he wanted to be an instant success when he joined Liverpool.

Kelly Somers speaks to Sunderland and former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka. He talks about why he wanted to return to the Premier League and join the Black Cats, how he reflects on his falling-out with Arsenal's fans in 2019 and his respect for Mikel Arteta.

Kelly Somers speaks to the Portugal manager Roberto Martinez. They talk about his journey into football, managing Wigan Athletic to their historic FA Cup win against Manchester City in 2013, the golden generation of players he managed with Belgium and working with Cristiano Ronaldo.

Mark Chapman in conversation with Michael Carrick.

Kelly Somers in conversation with Leah Williamson.

In this week's edition, Kelly Somers speaks to the Brentford and Republic of Ireland captain Nathan Collins. They discuss how he moved to England at the age of 15 to pursue his professional playing career, life at Brentford under manager Keith Andrews, the Republic of Ireland's chances of making the World Cup this summer via the play-offs and what it would mean to him to play at the tournament.

Kelly Somers speaks to Brighton midfielder James Milner, who broke the record for the most number of Premier League appearances – achieving a new all-time high of 654 – on 21 February 2026. They discuss his football journey, from joining the Leeds academy to playing in Champions League finals for Liverpool. He talks about the best managers he has played under and how the game has changed while he's been playing – including the arrival of small shin pads!

Kelly Somers in conversation with Ollie Watkins. 

Kelly Somers speaks to Nottingham Forest and England midfielder Elliot Anderson. He talks about his career so far, including the 'dream' of playing for his boyhood club Newcastle before moving to Forest, getting his first England call-up from Thomas Tuchel, and enjoying walking his dogs on a day off.