Swans’ Mawson: I’m still the same man who sold lychees on a fruit and veg stall
Turn the clock back three years, and you’d have found Swansea City’s Alfie Mawson on a fruit and veg stall in the heart of Ealing, London.
It’s a moment that the central defender still feels is yesterday, but that hasn’t stopped him relishing every moment on the pitch – making his mark for both club and country.
The youngster is hoping to set his stall back in the England U21 setup this weekend, with the Young Lions set to face Germany and Denmark in friendly matches, a double-header Mawson expects to be involved in.
Enjoying a breakthrough season with the Swans, the 23-year-old has made 25 appearances and scored six goals so far this term, a far cry from his days of loan spells with non-league outfits Luton Town and Welling.
But despite his meteoric rise through the ranks, via the likes of Wycombe and Barnsley, the defender is keeping a rather level-headed approach to his rise up the football pyramid, still insisting he is exactly the same person he was all those years ago.
(Photo by Athena Pictures/Getty Images)
“Three years ago I was playing non-league football. Now I’m playing for my country at U21 level and for Swansea in the Premier League. Things like that don’t tend to happen to people like me,” he said.
“I was working on my dad’s fruit and veg stall not so long ago. My best mate was also involved too. It still feels like yesterday.
“I used to sell lychees with my mate, and we used to have great fun. My dad still goes on about the day when I sold 250 small boxes of lychees when I was 14.
“It taught me a lot though. One of the most important things to me is manners. Saying thank you, please or just holding a door open for someone – it’s a simple thing.
“Being a footballer in the Premier League shouldn’t change you.
“To be honest, I still haven’t got used to people asking me to sign something. I haven’t got my head around it because, to me, I’m still the little Alfie from West London who worked on his dad’s fruit and veg stall in Ealing.”
