Alex, welcome to the show. Thank you very much for joining us.

Thank you for having me. Thank you.

We want to talk about creativity in football, first of all.

And this idea that so often a sport which requires creativity can also be a world that suppresses your creativity.

Does that ring a bell with you?

Yeah, it does, but I'm just lucky I haven't had any, like, anyone around me, coaches or family members that's restricted that. They've always encouraged me to go and be myself. So,

I've never felt that sort of pressure that I can't be myself. So what was your upbringing like where freedom of expression was encouraged?

Well, traditionally I came from my Nigerian background.

So in my household, there was me, my sister, my mom and dad, and we're literally just being

ourselves, dancing around the house, playing football in the house.

Sometimes my mom used to get a bit annoyed because I'm sligh tackling balloons and playing football in the house. Sometimes my mum used to get a bit annoyed because I'm slide tackling balloons and kicking cans in the house.

But yeah, so obviously everyone knows I'm blessed to have her uncle and J. Joe Kochar.

So I used to go watch his games and, especially when he was at Bolton in a team where Sam Aladais is the manager.

I would respect to Sam Aladais, he's not one that attracts or plays attractive football.

But with my uncle there, he was, he allowed him to go and express himself.

He was played with a smile on his face.

So literally just growing up watching him and the family I had, like, it just said, go be you.

And I didn't have any doubts about being myself.

And what does that actually mean, though, Alex, when they say, go and be you, like, and I didn't have any doubts about being myself. And what does that actually mean though, Alex, when they say go and be you? Because you can hear that used a lot, but what does it mean for you? Well, me, I'm a bubbly character. My friends can tell you some of my people's are here. I'm a bubbly, loud character. And I've been shown that recently on my social media platform so people can see the real me.

But yeah, I just like to vibes on my friends on the pitch and they like to see me. I'll probably have a bit of band with my boys on the pitch. And that's literally me in a nutshell. I just like to be a happy, happy guy. So I think something might have changed for you in the last little while because Southerner, you are expressing yourself,

you are talking about your music,

I really want to have a conversation. might have changed for you in the last little while because suddenly you are expressing yourself,

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