Ollie Watkins: That England Semi-Final Goal Changed my Career Forever

This is Ollie Watkins reflecting on a journey that very few footballers ever experience - opening up on going from League Two and non-league football to scoring one of England’s biggest goals in recent history. Chilling with Rio in his Airbnb, Watkins reveals why he still thinks about those early days every time he walks out for Aston Villa in the Champions League. Despite becoming one of the Premier League’s most consistent forwards, Watkins remains hugely grounded throughout this conversation - discussing the impatience that drove him early in his career, the responsibility he felt during Steven Gerrard’s time at Aston Villa and why Unai Emery completely changed the standards and mentality within the squad. There’s fascinating insight into the mentality of elite strikers too, including why Erling Haaland’s role is “so difficult”, how studying Ruud van Nistelrooy helped develop his instincts inside the box and why Harry Kane’s leadership is more about standards than shouting. Watkins also explains the challenge of being used as an impact substitute for England and reveals the voice note he sent to friends before his huge semi-final goal after growing frustrated on the bench. The pair also discuss Thomas Tuchel’s arrival as England manager, why the squad are already buying into his demand for more arrogance and confidence, and how nobody in the camp can beat him at table tennis. Plus brilliant stories and insight on Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer, Marcus Rashford, Morgan Rogers, Phil Foden and why Watkins believes criticism of Gareth Southgate was completely unfair. There’s also a brilliant look into dressing room culture and player personalities - from fashion disasters in the France squad and ping-pong battles at England camp to why Michael Owen’s advice means more than anybody else’s and the underrated qualities that make Ezri Konsa such a difficult defender to play against. #WorldCup #WorldCup2026 #FIFAWorldCup #OllieWatkins #AstonVilla #AVFC #ThreeLions #England #ChampionsLeague #UnaiEmery #StevenGerrard #GarethSouthgate #ThomasTuchel #HarryKane #JudeBellingham #MarcusRashford #ColePalmer #MorganRogers #PhilFoden #ErlingHaaland #RuudVanNistelrooy #MichaelOwen #EzriKonsa #StrikerMentality #RioFerdinand #RioMeets #Five #FootballPodcast #BehindTheScenes #PremierLeague #England 00:00 Intro: Welcome to Rio Meets 01:26 Switching Off: Life Outside the Game 01:52 The Rise: Journey From Non-League to Euros Hero 03:34 Position Shift: Transitioning From Winger to Central Striker 05:39 Remembering Brentford: The Iconic "BMW" Trio 08:14 Villa Standards: Playing Under Unai Emery 11:46 Toughest Battles: Facing Thiago Silva's Intelligence 12:56 Underrated Teammates: The Quality of Ezri Konsa 15:54 Villa Rebuild: Taking Responsibility for Gerrard's Departure 18:54 International Duties: The Realities of Southgate’s England 21:15 The Euros Semi-Final Goal & Cole Palmer Connection 27:20 Life Under Tuchel: High Pressing and German Efficiency 30:24 Training Ground Secrets: Drills with Captain Harry Kane 38:45 Elite Talent: Marcus Rashford & Jude Bellingham’s Aura Brought to you in partnership with Airbnb #adSubscribe: http://bit.ly/15QO9WE Rio Ferdinand Presents: rioferdinandpresents.com Rio Ferdinand Presents Instagram: https://instagram.com/rioferdinandpresents Rio Ferdinand Presents Twitter/X: https://x.com/RioMeets