When you are chosen by ‘The Special One’, it can mean the world.
Malachi Fagan-Walcott knows the feeling of being singled out by José Mourinho and admits he still cherishes it.
The Dunfermline Athletic loan defender started his career at Tottenham Hotspur and worked with football royalty as he was given a dream early education in the game.
His debut for Spurs came in the Champions League under Mourinho.
Team-mates that day included Hugo Lloris, Toby Alderweireld, Dele Alli and Eric Dier.
Mentioning the competition’s iconic music still gives him chills almost four years on from the 3-0 defeat to RB Leipzig in March 2020.
Unfortunately, it was to prove Fagan-Walcott’s only first-team appearance for the London club, where he was on the books for eight years.
However, he has few regrets over a spell when even being asked to train alongside the likes of Harry Kane, Son Heung-Min, Gareth Bale and Christian Eriksen was a welcome boost.
“He was good, amazing,” says the defender of Mourinho, the self-styled ‘Special One’.
“And so welcoming.
“He would watch the games himself. So, he would come down to the youth league games, and he’d choose someone where he thought, ‘I really like this guy, I’ll bring him up and train with us’.
“You didn’t feel like you’d just been told to go and train.
“You’d feel like you’d earned it because, if he didn’t come and watch, or if he didn’t know who you were, you wouldn’t train out there.
The Jose Mourinho ‘boost’ for Malachi Fagan-Walcott
“But he obviously saw you and he was like, ‘yeah, I want him up there’.
“You would go and, if you impressed, you’d stay up there, even if they had too many players.
“It gives you a boost. You’ve seen what he’s done over the years, and he’s chosen you. So, you don’t doubt yourself, you must be good at something.
“With other managers, they might just need another centre-half, so you go up there and train, and he doesn’t really value you.
“But, with José, it’s José Mourinho, he’s picked you. So you feel, ‘I should be up here’ and then you train better within yourself. It does help.”
Fagan-Walcott had attended Champions League games before, in with the fans and after playing in the Uefa Youth League that mirrors the senior tournament.
But getting the nod for a debut in the rarefied atmosphere of the world’s premier club competition was a thrill that will live with him forever.
“Me and my brother would go to every single home game,” said the 21-year-old, who spent a short spell on loan at Dundee in 2021.
“European nights are always the best, so I went to all of them.
“I would go to the away ones when we were in the Uefa Youth League. I went to Inter Milan away and that stadium was crazy.
“That was the season before and never did I think, a year later, I would be coming on. Still, to this day, it’s unbelievable.
Fagan-Walcott: ‘I thought I was dreaming’
“The one moment that stands out is when we went in after the warm-up.
“You run through the tunnel and you hear the Champions League song, and there’s thousands and thousands of people in there.
“I honestly thought I was dreaming when I was running out. I was thinking, what is this?
“That always stays with me. No matter who asks me the question, I’ll tell them the same thing. It’s always that one moment.
“It wasn’t even coming on to the pitch for my debut. It was that moment when I heard the music.
“As a kid when you’re watching it, you hear that, you see them line up, and you hear the song and the camera goes to all their faces. It felt surreal.”
Mixing with some of the top talents in the Premier League might have been an intimidating experience for any young player.
But Fagan-Walcott insists the Spurs stars were all ready to pass on their knowledge. And he bonded with one in particular.
“It’s always a learning curve when you’re training with them,” he explained. “It’s exciting. But when I was there, I would always ask things.
“I was quite close with Son (Heung-min) because, every day in training, whenever we’d do shape, he’d be attacking against me.
“We’d talk. I’d just ask him, ‘what do you find easy?’. Then I’d say, ‘what do you find hard, who’s the hardest defender you’ve played against?’ and things like that.
Spurs players ‘always welcoming’, says DAFC defender
“Also, players like Eric Dier helped out. When we were doing defensive clinics and things, he’d help.
“Eriksen was a big help as well when he was there. He welcomed all the youngsters, he was always welcoming. Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld – they were all a big help.
“None of them were stuck up or just didn’t want to talk to you.
“They would always help and, if you did something wrong, they’d say, ‘keep your head up – that might not be the pass, we’ll talk to you after’.
“I’ve had conversations sitting in the boot room after training with players for about half an hour, 45 minutes, just talking.
“You’d think they’d just want to go home. But they’re all pretty nice and will help you out, as an older, senior player.”
