PIRLS OF Kalvin is still buzzing off final vid from ace Andrea
KALVIN PHILLIPS gets a kick out of being called Yorkshire’s answer to Andrea Pirlo – so the Leeds midfielder was thrilled to get a personal pep talk from the Italian legend before the biggest game of his life.
Phillips was preparing for the Euro 2020 final against the Azzurri in the summer when a message came through on his phone from Elland Road team-mate Jack Harrison.
It included a video from Pirlo and a good luck message from a man who was once the master of the art that Phillips is now trying to perfect.
“The night before the final Jack, who used to play with Pirlo at New York City, sent me a video from him,” said Phillips with a smile that suggested he still can’t believe it.
“I was like, ‘Oh my God!.’
He wished me good luck in the final and said, ‘All the best.’
“I thought he was going to say something about Italy.
But no, he wished me well so full respect for that. I’ve never met Pirlo but I would like to.
“I’ve seen that he is a very cool guy but he’s also a nice guy as well.
“To get the recognition of unbelievable players is always nice – and he’s won World Cups and Champions Leagues so it was very, very special and is something I’ll always remember.”
Phillips had less than two months of Premier League experience when Gareth Southgate gave him his first England cap in September last year.
He emerged from the Euros with a runners-up medal and a trophy for being voted the Three Lions’ player of the tournament by fans. Phillips’ one small regret was that his request to swap shirts with his Italian rival Marco Verratti went unanswered.
But it has been a meteoric rise for a player who describes himself as “a dog that goes running after people who have got the ball”, despite Pirlo’s admiration.
Phillips treasures his memories and the medals he has on display in his kitchen.
But he admitted he still has plenty of unfinished business as he recalled putting himself through the pain of watching Italy being crowned European champions.
He said: “I took the medal off but only to give it a kiss. I never meant to be disrespectful to what we had done.
“It was just the frustration of losing and the fact I gave it a kiss shows how much it means to me.
“I hung around for quite a bit at the end. I just wanted to see what it was like to win a major trophy.
“I wanted to see their reactions at winning it and the fans’ reactions as well.
“No disrespect to Italy, but if England had won it the celebrations would have been a lot better than theirs!
“I still think about it now. I think about what could have been if we’d won and I can remember a chance when I had a volley on the edge of the box.
“It’s fairytale stuff. Just think, ‘Imagine if that had gone in.’ We want to go one better next time, we’re hungry for more. We want
to get a taste of what it feels like to win a trophy.”
Phillips was sidelined by injury at the start of the season and Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa’s refusal to rush him back into action meant he had to stay patient. He now employs a chef to make sure he eats all the right things in the knowledge that marginal gains can make a huge difference. Phillips said: “It’s just a nutritional thing really I’m not a fan of fine dining or anything like that.
“We get weighed every morning at Leeds because the manager is very strict about our weight.
“So when I say I’ve got a chef, I don’t mean I’m having full three-course or five-course meals. I just have the meals prepared for me.
“It’s usually chicken, beef or anything to do with protein because during the week we’re not allowed to eat many carbs.
“To be honest, I’ll eat anything that’s put in front of me.
“Apart from mushrooms. I hate mushrooms. “I don’t know why, I think I’ve got a phobia of them.”
Mushrooms might be the only thing that do faze Kalvin Phillips.