18-82 Q&A - Sessegnon: Spa, snacks and an old job at a driving range...

Continuing our Q&A feature where we use the year of the Club’s formation as inspiration, asking our players to choose 18 lifestyle questions to answer from a selection of 82. Today it’s the turn of Ryan Sessegnon...

1 - You have a rare day off from football (prior to lockdown and social distancing) – what is your perfect day?

Ryan: “I would go to a spa. I would have a full-body massage with a facial as well. Get in the pool, the jacuzzi. A relaxing day.”

2 - How do you like your eggs?

Ryan: “I like my eggs poached on buttered brown toast with beans.”

3 - Are you good at another sport?

Ryan: “Table tennis is my other strong sport, or badminton and even volleyball. I’ve played table tennis once or twice against a few of the other players and a bit of snooker as well. At table tennis I managed to beat Serge Aurier, Moussa Sissoko and Victor Wanyama, when he was here.”

4 - When was the last time you wore a tie?

Ryan: “Probably the season I won Championship Player of the Year, back in April, 2018.”

5 - Which emoji do you use the most?

Ryan: “The laughing face, definitely: 😂.”

6 - What is your guilty pleasure?

Ryan: “Snacking, probably. I snack on a lot of popcorn. It’s a favourite in the team to be honest and it’s the exact same popcorn that we all like – a mixed selection of it.”

7 - Who would you most like to meet?

Ryan: “Kevin Hart. I think if I was just sitting in the room with him, he’d make me die laughing. He’s a really funny guy.”

8 - What inspires you every day?

Ryan: “Family, definitely. You always have to remember where you started and where you came from.”

9 - If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

Ryan: “I would probably say my shoe size. It’s a weird one – I would like my feet to be a bit smaller. I just think smaller feet for trainers looks better!”

10 - When was the last time you cried?

Ryan: “I can’t remember, you know. I do remember crying after the play-off final and getting promoted to the Premier League with Fulham, but I don’t know if that was quite the last time.”

11 - Who has been the biggest influence on your career so far?

Ryan: “I think I have two. My older brother Chris is one as he has always kept pushing and pushing me and the other would be Slaviša Jokanović, my first manager at Fulham, because he gave me the opportunity to play at a young age and he was a big part of my development.”

12 - What is one question that you are always asked in interviews?

Ryan: “It’s ‘How does it feel to be compared to Gareth Bale?’ I get asked that question all the time. Each interview just seems to mention comparisons between me and Gareth Bale for some reason. Of course, he is a player that I have looked up to and it’s flattering to be compared to someone like him but at the same time, you want to be your own person.”

13 - You are going to a fancy-dress party – what is your costume?

Ryan: “I am only going to say this because I have done it before – me and my brother went to one as Mario and Luigi. I’d go as Mario.”

14 - Who is the biggest joker in the team?

Ryan: “Serge Aurier.”

15 - What position did you play in your first game?

Ryan: “In youth football, I started as a striker and then professionally, in my first game, I played at left-back. A lot of full-backs always seem to have started further forward in their careers and then move towards defence – I don’t know why that is.”

16 - Which superhero do you wish actually existed?

Ryan: “Spiderman.”

17 - What is the best advice you have ever been given?

Ryan: “Work as if this is your last day in football. That has always stuck with me from my days in the academy at Fulham.”

18 - Have you ever had a job outside football?

Ryan: “Yes, not many people know about this but when I was very young there was a golf course near to where I grew up. Me, my brother and my friends used to work at the driving range. We used to collect the balls in a basket and bring them back to the machines for people to use again on the range. It was just a small weekend job.”