His Unique Journey from New Zealand Roots: How Ben Chilwell Evolved

Have Chelsea fans truly seen the best of Ben Chilwell? Many would say no, mainly because of his frequent injuries, which have been frustrating for both him and his supporters. However, there’s much more to Chilwell’s story than just his injury struggles.

Despite being born in Britain, Chilwell’s early life was far from the typical British experience. His upbringing was deeply influenced by New Zealand culture, as his family has strong roots in New Zealand. We’ll delve into this unique aspect of his background and the remarkable journey that has defined his career.

Ben Chilwell’s football journey began in a heartfelt way, right in the back garden of his family home in Milton Keynes. There, his father set up an improvised goalpost, and together they spent countless hours playing and practising. Chilwell has often spoken about how his dad’s encouragement and emphasis on hard work shaped his early years. That resilience and dedication were instilled in him from a young age, and he credits his parents with a significant part of his success.

The start of Ben Chilwell’s football career wasn’t smooth sailing. His serious football journey began at Leicester City when he joined the club at the age of 12. However, things didn’t go as planned, and by the age of 15, he faced significant challenges. Chilwell feared he might be released due to underperformance, and the pressure mounted as he found himself among four youth players who were not promoted to the Leicester City U16 team despite their hard work.

This article explores Ben Chilwell’s journey through those tough times and how he overcame these early setbacks to become one of the best left-backs in the world.

Ben Chilwell Childhood Story – Early & Family Life:

For Biography starters, his full name is Benjamin James Chilwell. Ben Chilwell, or “Chilly” as he is nicknamed, was born on the 21st day of December 1996 in Milton Keynes, United Kingdom.

Despite being born in Britain, Chilwell’s early upbringing didn’t go the usual typical British way. His early upbringing embraced the New Zealandic culture. This is because the Chilwell family has their roots in New Zealand. One of Chilwell’s parents, his dad, came to Britain together with his Grandfather (pictured below) in the early 1900s.

While in England, both of Chilwell’s parents became acquainted with one another, thus leading to their marriage and, subsequently, to his birth. Chilwell didn’t grow up alone but together with his big brother, whose name is currently unknown. Away from football, he bonds well with his best friend, James Maddison.

Ben Chilwell’s father, influenced by his rugby background in New Zealand, instilled a tough, resilient Kiwi mentality in him from an early age. At the time, the Chilwell family was unfamiliar with football. It was Ben who introduced the sport to them. He reflected, “It was only when I started playing that my parents became interested in football, and now they absolutely love it.”

Early Career Life:

Chilwell’s football journey began in the back garden of his Milton Keynes home. There, he and his dad set up a goalpost, and they spent countless hours playing together.

Ben recalls,

“He used to get me to try and hit the crossbar with both my left and my weaker right foot.”

After enough home practice, Ben Chilwell’s dad agreed to enrol his son with Milton Keynes’ local team, Woburn Lions. Research has it that Ben attended Loughborough College and Redborne Upper School.

At Woburn Academy, a sense of fulfilment came for little boys when there was football participation. Hence, it was easy for Chilwell to integrate with his teammates.

Speaking about his experience at Woburn Lions, Chilwell once recalled;

I vividly remember my first game—it was against Willen, another team from Milton Keynes. We won decisively, something like 15-0 or 16-0.

Several of us from that team had been playing together since we were six or seven years old. Out of us, four went on to become scholars: two at Leicester City and two at MK Dons.

Later on, Chilwell moved to Bletchley Youth Football Academy in a bid to get more experience and an opportunity with the bigger club.

At the club, he went on to lead his team in winning all local competitions, which led to his first rise to fame.

Also, with the help of his parents, especially his dad, Chilwell got moulded into a fine player. He once reflected on how his dad pushed him, saying,

My father always pushed me when I was younger in terms of working hard and practicing, so that was instilled into me and I owe him a lot. Everything in fact.

Ben Chilwell Bio – Going Professional:

The only way to get opportunities was to apply for trials with bigger teams. This was Chilwell’s approach in his early quest to go professional.

He finally had a successful trial at the newly established Rushden & Diamonds, which was 24km from his home.

Rushden & Diamonds ignited his passion and skill, catching the attention of Leicester City academy scouts who invited the promising young talent for trials.

Chilwell travelled 87km from his home to have a successful trial with Leicester. Speaking about the transfer experience, he once said,

Eventually, I had a six-week trial at Leicester City. They were interested in signing me, but Rushden & Diamonds were demanding a significant fee, even though I was just 12 years old.

Ben Chilwell Biography – Difficult Time at Leicester:

Chilwell started life at Leicester at the age of 12. Unfortunately, he couldn’t settle into the club three years after he was bought. At the age of 15, Chilwell was absolutely convinced he was going to get released due to non-performance.

Chilwell was among four youth footballers who, despite struggling hard, didn’t get promoted to Leicester City U16.

He continued playing with the U15 team while the rest of his age group played for the U16s. Somehow, luck ran on his side as he wasn’t released despite the fears.

Leaving Football for Cricket:

During his challenging days with Leicester, Chilwell faced a tough decision: he was probably better at cricket than football at that time. The year before his struggles, Chilwell had been signed by Northants cricket academy and even attended an ECB England U15s trial in Loughborough.

However, he reached a point where he had to choose between the two sports. Reflecting on his decision, Chilwell admitted:

“I wasn’t really enjoying cricket as much. The days were long, and I was often surrounded by people who weren’t really my friends. It just didn’t have the same dynamic as football. At that time, even though I wasn’t as skilled at football, I decided to give it one last shot.”

The Rise to Fame:

Once again, his dad stepped in with encouragement, reminding him to persevere and trust in the natural talent that had already brought him so far. It wasn’t long before Chilwell bounced back and rejoined his teammates who had been promoted.

By the end of the 2014–15 season, Chilwell’s hard work and resilience paid off when he won the Academy Player of the Year award.

The 2015/2016 season became a turning point in his club and national career. That season, Chilwell gained promotion into the Leicester senior team and also had his England U18 call-up.

That same season (2015/2016) also happens to be the year the Leicester City team dominated England by winning the Premier League trophy. Despite Chilwell’s personal shot of the Premier League crown, fans took much interest in Demarai Gray’s priceless look at the far right of the photo.

Now regarded as a legend at Chelsea, Ben Chilwell is currently focused on overcoming his injury concerns. His immediate goal is to regain full fitness and compete effectively with Levi Colwill and Marc Cucurella for playing time under Enzo Maresca. With his talent and determination, Chilwell is poised to make his mark, and the rest, as they say, will become part of his remarkable story.

Love Story with Joanna Chimonides:

Behind every successful man is a woman, and behind her is his wife. In the case of a successful Chilwell, there exists a glamorous girlfriend named Joanna Chimonides.

Both lovers have been together since July 2017, a year before his memorable Gareth Southgate England call-up.

Thanks to the 5 minutes distance between King Power Stadium and the University of Leicester, it was fairly easy for Chilwell to spot Joanna for a date and repeatedly check on her.

Joanna is described as someone whose beauty and brains go hand in hand. As of the time of writing, she is a graduate of Psychology from the University of Leicester.

Joanna once celebrated with her mates (pictured middle and far left) on her graduation, saying,

We did it… so happy to have met these two beauties on our first day at uni, and now finishing with them 3 years later.

Personality:

Getting to know Ben Chilwell’s personal life outside the field of play will help you build up a better picture of him. Outside the pitch, Chilwell is extrovert, idealistic, possesses a great sense of humour and has an intense curiosity.

Appreciation Note:

Thanks for reading our Ben Chilwell Childhood Story plus Untold Biography Facts. We strive for accuracy and fairness in our delivery of Soccer Players born in England. Please stay tuned for more! You’ll enjoy the story of Lewis Hall and Chuba Akpom. If you find something that doesn’t look right, please share it with us by commenting below. We’ll always value and respect your ideas.