Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin emotionally recalls 'crying on bedroom floor'
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has spoken about the pressure he placed on himself to bring success to Everton, as a series of injuries rendered him almost helpless in a Premier League relegation battle
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has recalled shedding tears on his bedroom floor on his birthday, as Everton's struggles in the 2020/21 season got to him while he was hindered by injury. While he bounced back to net the goal that eventually ensured Everton's Premier League survival, the centre-forward opened up about the emotional toil that being sidelined had on him.
The season had started positively for Calvert-Lewin, with the striker finding the net in the first three league matches and earning a call-up to the England squad. However, this form came with a price as he soldiered on despite a broken toe.
Reflecting on this period on the High Performance Podcast, he remembered having to withdraw from the international squad and, while trying to adjust for his injury, developed the first of several quadriceps issues that have since plagued him. Calvert-Lewin also opened up about his challenging season, marred by injuries and managerial changes, from Rafa Benitez to Frank Lampard's rescue mission.
Despite the setbacks, the 28-year-old played a pivotal role in the campaign, notably with his decisive diving header from Demarai Gray's free-kick against Crystal Palace that truly turned the tide for the club and saved them from relegation, igniting ecstatic celebrations at Goodison Park.
Reflecting on the overwhelming emotions of that moment, Calvert-Lewin said: "That feeling, I'll never be able to describe it. It was the weight of my own pressure, the football club.
"I am quite an emotional person so I put that responsibility on my shoulders. I thought, 'It's my responsibility to save everybody, save people's jobs.' So when I scored that goal it was a relief. The biggest relief ever.
"On my birthday, which would have been 4/5 weeks before I scored that goal, that was a low point for me. I can't remember why, I think it was built-up emotion, I ended up crying. I was on my own on my birthday, crying on my bedroom floor for whatever reason, feeling a little bit sorry for myself.
"I think it was not knowing how to express what I was feeling in that moment, that feeling things were getting away from me, feeling you have all the pressure of the football club on your shoulders and you just want to go out there and play.
"And at that moment I couldn't play because I had picked up another injury and it was overwhelming. But I remember thinking to myself, 'This is a rock bottom moment.' In my mind I was thinking it doesn't get worse than this, you need to pick yourself up and go again.
"So that was a catalyst for me because I felt better after I cried. I let out that emotion, all that pressure I had put on myself, and thought I am going to save Everton Football Club. I ended up scoring the winning goal."
Calvert-Lewin also shared his emotional journey on social media, telling podcast host Jake Humphrey about the unintended consequences it had. He had meant to write that talking had changed his life, but the message was misinterpreted, leading to increased media scrutiny and additional pressure.
The striker emphasised the significance of his message, that people can triumph over their hardships, wrote on his Instagram: "Hindsight is a beautiful thing. What I actually did was almost put more pressure on me because I put myself in the spotlight for a non-footballing reason... we all have problems and that is what I was trying to portray."
Recounting the unforgettable moment his header found the net, he added: "I've never heard a stadium erupt like that in my life. I remember the ball coming in. I remember heading the ball. I remember feeling like I had lost sight of the ball. Looking back up. And it had just gone past the keeper.
"And it was like [tries to replicate the crowd noise], it was like a noise that was almost still. It was that loud it was silent, if that makes sense. Everything just faded out and I remember just wheeling off, running, I don't know what I was doing... it was the most euphoric thing I have ever felt playing football."
Despite ongoing injury woes, Calvert-Lewin has delivered crucial moments to ensure Everton's Premier League survival in recent years, including a pivotal penalty at Leicester City and Abdoulaye Doucoure's last-day heroics to avoid relegation the following season.
Last year, his courageous last-minute penalty secured a draw at Newcastle, setting the stage for a revival in which he netted the decisive goal against Burnley and the second in the 2-0 Merseyside derby victory that virtually eliminated relegation worries.
However, after sustaining a hamstring injury at Brighton and Hove Albion, he was absent for a significant portion of the latter half of this season under David Moyes – and with his contract due to expire at the end of this month, his future remains uncertain.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
24 minutes ago
- Metro
Chelsea set Nicolas Jackson asking price as Premier League club enter race
Chelsea have set a steep asking price for Nicolas Jackson after a Premier League club entered the race to secure his signature. Jackson enjoyed a relatively promising first season at Stamford Bridge following a £32m move from Villarreal in 2023, scoring 17 goals in all competitions. But the Senegal international went backwards last season, only scoring one Premier League goal in the second-half of the campaign. Wastefulness in front of goal has not been his own problem, either, with Jackson seeing red in two of his last five appearances, including in Chelsea's Club World Cup defeat to Flamengo. Jackson started that game from the bench as Enzo Maresca handed new signing Liam Delap his first Chelsea start since his £30m move from Ipswich Town. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we'll send you so we can get football news tailored to you. It was recently suggested by ex-Chelsea star John Obi Mikel that Jackson would remain Maresca's first-choice striker next season ahead of Delap, who scored more goals than his new teammate for a team that were relegated from the Premier League. But Chelsea have seemingly already decided to put their faith in Delap and are therefore open to offers for Jackson. On Saturday, it was reported that Juventus had opened talks with Chelsea to discuss a deal for the 24-year-old. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano says an unnamed Premier League club are also showing interest in Jackson, who Chelsea value at between €55-60m. Given Chelsea's steep asking price of around £50m, Juventus are ready to turn to other targets unless the Blues shown a willingness to lower their demands. 'I think Nicolas Jackson has definitely been disrespected. I think he's the focal point and a real presence up there. 'He occupies the centre-halves and takes them back to create space for the likes of Cole Palmer to come into. 'Palmer, in particular, profited off the space that Jackson created him. Enzo [Fernandez] as well. I think Enzo is a better No. 10 than a No.8 and when he gets forward he's a real goal threat. 'But they need someone who is going to lead the line and occupy the centre-halves and create that space for them. 'He's been a huge miss. He's not a prolific goalscorer but he's certainly a threat and they can't replace him. 'They've got nobody like him to come in – they've tried it with [Christopher] Nkunku or playing with Pedro Neto as a false nine but it's not worked. 'Sometimes as a manager you have to find a different way. I just think they're a bit to predictable on the ball, playing sideways and backwards, but perhaps there isn't the options forward when the midfield players look up. 'Jackson would normally be stretching the opposition in behind or they could play longer into his chest and have him hold the ball up. They haven't had that in his absence so he's been a huge miss.' Ex-Premier League manager Tim Sherwood speaking to Metro After being sent off in Chelsea's second Club World Cup fixture, Flamengo boss Filipe Luis backed Jackson to develop into one of the best strikers in the world. When asked about Jackson's red card, Filipe Luis said: 'First of all, I love Chelsea. 'I spent one really happy season there, we won the Premier League and the League Cup and I made special friends and played with the best players in the world for a season, and I was really happy there. More Trending 'So I know how the club is special and how the club needs to win titles because of the pressure inside the club, it happens. 'But he [Jackson] is so good, he's young, he has all the potential and quality the club needs. 'For sure, he will surpass this little mistake. I think it was clear, I just saw it in front of me, I haven't seen it on the TV yet, but for me it was a red. 'But it is just a small detail for a player who is a big player, he can be one of the biggest strikers in the world.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Napoli respond to transfer offer for Scott McTominay after dream debut season MORE: £50m star told to reject Chelsea transfer and join Manchester United MORE: Arsenal set asking price as Bayern Munich consider Gabriel Martinelli transfer
Telegraph
27 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Premier League questions Chelsea over ‘unauthorised ticket seller' co-owned by Todd Boehly
The Premier League has demanded answers from Chelsea over the 'unauthorised' reselling of Premier League tickets by a website co-owned by Todd Boehly. In an open letter, the Chelsea Supporters' Trust requested in March that the English top tier act 'swiftly' in investigating club chairman Boehly's involvement in Vivid Seats. Richard Masters, the league's chief executive, has now confirmed at a Football Supporters' Association event that the competition had written to the club. According to minutes of the recent FSA event, Masters 'confirmed the PL [Premier League] had written to Chelsea to seek clarification on the club's position with the matter ongoing. RM [Masters] advised the PL would reply to CST [Chelsea Supporters' Trust] once the PL had concluded its discussions with the club.' Telegraph Sport first reported in February how Vivid Seats, a US-based online marketplace of which Boehly is both an investor and director, was allowing foreign-based users to buy and sell Premier League tickets for up to tens of thousands of pounds. Boehly has not been accused of any wrongdoing. CST had asked the league to 'act and investigate' the situation which they believe is both a 'breach of trust' and 'a clear conflict of interest'. The trust has also submitted evidence against the American company to the Government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). Chelsea recently pledged to take action on ticket touting but did not name Vivid Seats or other ticket resellers. Vivid does not allow fans based in Britain to buy or sell tickets – the latter of which would be illegal – but its business model does raise the prospect of Chelsea co-owner Boehly profiting from the kind of activity his own club have repeatedly denounced. The CST wrote in its March letter to Masters: 'We have received a significant amount of correspondence from concerned CST members and supporters from the wider Chelsea FC fan base on this issue that cannot be ignored.' Boehly has not commented but Vivid Seats previously said in a statement: 'As a global business, we are always respectful and cognisant of local regulatory policies and procedures that are in place in any market to ensure we are compliant. As such, our policy restricts the sale of EPL tickets from UK sellers. We can confirm that we do not have any UK sellers listing EPL inventory on our marketplace. Additionally, Vivid Seats does not and has never directly marketed or advertised Premier League tickets to UK customers.' Boehly, a director and investor in Vivid, described as an 'unauthorised ticket seller' by the league, also owns a 13 per cent stake in Chelsea.
Telegraph
27 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Alejandro Garnacho pictured in a Marcus Rashford Aston Villa shirt
Alejandro Garnacho has risked angering Manchester United fans by posing in an Aston Villa shirt carrying Marcus Rashford's name on the back. After a season in which both players became outcasts under Ruben Amorim, Garnacho posted the image of himself in the jersey while on holiday. The picture is included in holiday snaps he posted on Instagram of a trip to Ibiza, while he continues to weigh up his future as an Old Trafford exit beckons. There is little doubt that the image posted on Garnacho's official account is intended to be provocative. The No 9 claret and blue shirt that Rashford wore while on loan at Villa Park last season takes centre stage as Garnacho walks towards a Ferrari and a Lamborghini. Villa have been listed among clubs potentially interested in the 20-year-old, who is said to be keen on the prospect of remaining in the Premier League. Chelsea, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen and Napoli have also been linked with proposals for the forward. Amorim did not name Garnacho in his 20-man squad for their final game of a miserable season after telling the Argentina international to find a new club. Napoli bid for Garnacho in January after selling Georgia forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to Paris St-Germain for £63 million but were rebuffed. United are thought to want around £60 million for the Argentina forward, whom Chelsea also tried and failed to sign in January. The Argentina international previously angered United fans with his comments immediately after their crushing 1-0 defeat by Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final. 'Obviously, it is hard for everyone. Our season was s---. We did not beat anyone in the league,' Garnacho told reporters at the San Mames Stadium. 'We lacked a lot of things. When you don't score goals, you always need more. Until we reached the final, I played every round. And I played 20 minutes today…'
