Words: Asad Raza  Images: Faith Jung

We all have our things, don't we? The things we can’t live without, the stuff that keeps us ticking along, feeling all well and good and perfectly harmonic with the universe. On matchdays, whether you’re watching or playing, that can mean wearing a specific shirt or your favourite pair of socks or listening to the same podcast on repeat four hours before kick-off. The Editor-in-Chief of this parish used to tape and re-tape his right ankle before South Manchester Sunday League fixtures in his youth, all while having Kendrick Lamar’s Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City blaring through tinny headphones.

These are the sorts of rituals that make you feel concrete, real, ready to take on anything that life throws at you. They’re soothing spoonfuls of Calpol for the soul.

Now, what does it take to get a professional footballer in the mood? When you’re in the hyper-optimised, regimented, rarefied sphere of the elite game, with an army of sleep doctors and nutritionists at your fingertips, how do you cope with it all? How does one live at that level?

We had the pleasure of being invited by the very good people at adidas and Arsenal to the Gunners’ pre-season training camp in gorgeous, sunny, hot hot hot Girona, city of medieval wonder and very good vermouth, to ask Messrs Riccardo Calafiori, Jurrien Timber, and Myles Lewis-Skelly exactly these sorts of questions. 

In-between shooting the gorgeous (GORGEOUS) new away and third shirts, and getting helpful art directing advice from Riccardo, we sat down with the lads to talk about their pre-match rituals, what they eat, watch, read, and listen to, and their favourite all-time adidas and Arsenal shirts. Their answers were delightful, so enjoy…

Riccardo Calafiori: For me, I start every match day on the bus listening to music. All kinds really, different styles and genres—but right now more Brazilian music, samba, bossa nova. I’m constantly changing, and it helps me to keep it different and stay sharp, I think. 

Jurrien Timber: I start every day with worship. There’s a group of us that pray together before matches, so having that bond is very special. And then around the game it can be whatever I'm in the mood for. Which most of the time is Drake, you know? I’m in my own zone.

RC: You go through everything before it happens and then you’re ready, and it helps a lot.

JT:  You play the game in your head before it happens, for sure. Always. I think it helps a lot and it gets me excited to be fair, and sometimes in the game you feel, "I've been here," like you have déjà vu. But the excitement, especially if it's a big game, is the best. There’s so much good energy.

Before matches, I do my morning routine and read the Bible. Then I listen to music and then I'm calling my mum. That always happens, it’s a non-negotiable. Obviously we're praying with a bunch of guys before the game as well, and the rest of the day is chill. Watching something, listening to music, eating, and sleeping. 

My favourite Arsenal shirt? With adidas? Well it’s not hard. It’s the championship shirt, with the 26 on the back, champions 26. That’s forever.

RC: I am the same. I read sometimes and listen to music or sometimes I rewatch my actions from the last game. To either remind me how, if I played good, how good I am, or if I played bad then, okay, we have stuff to work on. Nothing is perfect but we have to aim for perfection.

JT: In terms of food, we eat pasta all the time. [Turns and points at Riccardo] You don't eat pasta though, do you?

RC: No, I prefer rice but he [points at Jurrien] changes a lot.

JT: Me? 

RC: Yeah, bro, sometimes you eat sweet food, like pancakes, fruits. That sort of stuff. 

JT: [Incredulous] Are you sure about that?

Okay, okay. I change a lot because, with eating, I'm difficult. Well not difficult, but—

RC: Bro, this guy is picky. You've seen him!

JT:  I'm not picky, but I'm selective. You know how many times we eat pasta in a week?

RC: Again, I don’t eat pasta. Even though I’m Italian.

JT: He is Italian, yeah. So... anyway, sometimes I'm not in the mood. I mean, you have to eat a lot, and I'm not a big eater. Okay. I eat a lot, but not on one plate. During the day I’m constantly snacking.

JT: How do I decompress?  At my home. Spending time with Ricky. Just kidding haha. No, just at home. Family, girlfriend, chill. I don't speak a lot after matches. If it was a good match or a bad match, I'm quite quiet. I need to chill, relax and eat. I get hungry, then, after the match. I don't know what he does to decompress. [Points at Calafiori]

You always go to the spa, no? 

RC: Yeah, the next day, but I think right after the game, the best thing to do is, no matter what happened in the game, I don’t speak too much about it, similar to Jurrien. Let's say you didn’t play so good. Obviously, if you're with friends and family, you're distracted and it's better. But even if you play very well, it's always good to disconnect. Think about it, 24 hours a day seven days a week, all we think about is football. So it's good to separate yourself as well.

Myles Lewis-Skelly:  The first Arsenal shirt I remember was from the 2016/17 season. Yeah. The mustard yellowy one, a bit similar to this new one, which is better, obviously! Every time I think about, ‘What season do I really remember watching?’ It was definitely that season. Us winning the FA Cup. Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey. The season Sanchez had as well, I feel as a young kid, watching that was life-changing. He did pretty much everything you need to do as an attacking player, score, assist, all of it.

JT: My favourite Arsenal shirt? With adidas? Well it’s not hard. It’s the championship shirt, with the 26 on the back, champions 26. That’s forever.

RC: But  the golden badge is coming, eh? On this shirt [points at shirt] it’ll be pretty good, no? 

JT: But it’s not here, yet is it? But it's coming. And I feel the shirts this season will be even more historic. 

But  the golden badge is coming, eh? On this shirt it’ll be pretty good, no?

MLS: Arsenal always gets the best kits man. And these are no exception—the bruised banana was historic and this one is going to be as well. 

RC:  Last season's shirt will always be so special though. I got mine signed by everyone. It’s a museum piece. 

JT: The first thing we’re thinking when we see this shirt is that this is gonna be another championship shirt. And hopefully it is.

RC: The energy in the camp is good. Obviously we're not a full team but it's coming, and it’ll be amazing to see our teammates again. We want to win again.

MLS:  Obviously I love the championship shirt but my debut shirt [in 24/25] will always be special. The impact that I had in that season, how I contributed to help the team out, to progress late into the Champions League and playing with that shirt in front of your family, in front of your people, it's a feeling that I want over and over again.

 And I’ll tell you another thing: obviously I was in the parade for the title as well. And looking out, I could see all these people that I knew. It was mad, 'cause I'm looking at them like, “Wait, I know you, I know you.” “I know you. I know her. I know him.”

That feeling right there is indescribable, and we’ll get there again. Wearing these shirts.

You can get Arsenal’s 2026/27 home, away, and third shirts right here.