A-Z of Football with Finn Azaz

A is for… Atmosphere

Best atmosphere you’ve played in?

The Aviva Stadium for Ireland against Portugal. The noise and the energy, especially when we scored, was just mental.

The Aviva Stadium ahead of Ireland's 2-0 win over Portugal in World Cup qualifying

B is for… Banter

Funniest player you’ve shared a dressing room with?

I’ll say two people: Kevin Ellison and Dom Telford, both at Newport. They were just so quick witted, you can only laugh, you’d never take them seriously. But it’s all the time – they won’t stop, ever.

C is for… Celebration

Favourite goal celebration in football history?

The one that springs to mind is Nani’s backflip. That’s just so cool to be able to do that!

Nani's acrobatics were a popular sight at Old Trafford

D is for… Dream

What would be your ultimate football dream?

Winning the Ballon d’Or. You could say win the World Cup, but you might be a sub!

E is for… Embarrassed

Most humiliating moment?

I haven’t really got anything for that off the top of my head.

F is for… Friend

Best mate in football?

I’ve got three mates who are still in football from when I played with them at youth level. We grew up together at West Brom. There’s Ted Cann, who’s at Rotherham, Zak Brown and Peter Taylor, who are both in non-league.

G is for… Goal

Best goal you have ever scored?

For Argyle against Watford. I don’t think it gets the credit it deserves! You don’t really see many goals like that with the same technique – I was going to lace it, but I changed my mind while it was in the air because of how it dropped to my foot, and then I just dipped it in on the volley with the inside of my foot.

H is for… Hardman

Toughest player you have come across?

Ebou Adams (Portsmouth) is pretty aggressive, and Dan Ballard (Sunderland) too.

I is for… Idol

Player you looked up to as a boy?

Kevin De Bruyne – he’s obviously my position. His passing, driving with the ball, goals… everything. I used to watch Dennis Bergkamp’s clips as well, because he’s quite tall like me and he played a similar position, but I couldn’t watch him live.

Kevin De Bruyne celebrates a famous goal against Brazil at the 2018 World Cup

J is for… Job

What would you do if you weren’t a footballer?

I’d probably be in business or something. I could’ve done anything really – I was good at school, so I’d have figured it out. I did A-level Business and French.

K is for… Kit

Favourite ever football shirt?

Brazil, probably the ’02 kit. The Ronaldinho shirt, the home one.

Ronaldinho faces Germany in the 2002 World Cup final

L is for… Losing

What’s been the toughest loss of your career?

Probably for Middlesbrough against Coventry, the last game of last season, because if we’d won we would’ve got in the play-offs.

M is for… Match

Best match you’ve played in?

The Hungary game for Ireland recently, it has to be. To come back, the odds and just how it happened… it was done, basically, so it was something very special to be part of it.

N is for… Notable

Football memento you will never give away?

Any awards that I’ve won throughout my career.

O is for… Opponent

Best player you’ve faced?

On the performance on the day or how they’ve done in their careers? Obviously Cristiano Ronaldo (for Ireland against Portugal), but he wasn’t great on the day! There’s also Phil Foden, when I was at Cheltenham and we played them (Man City) in the FA Cup. He was very good.

Azaz in action against Phil Foden in a 2021 FA Cup tie that Cheltenham led until the 81st minute, only to lose 3-1

P is for… Pride

Proudest football achievement?

I would just say getting to where I am, in the position I am now, from having to go back to League Two and my journey from there.

Q is for… Quote

Something someone said that always stuck with you?

Just recently the Ireland manager said, 'everyone wants to be your mate when you’ve won, or when you’ve done something special, but just remember the people who were messaging you when it wasn’t going well'. There are probably others, but that’s a recent one that’s fresh in my mind.

R is for… Routine

What does pre-match look like for you?

I’ll wake up at 9, shower – contrast shower – eggs on toast for breakfast, coffee – black, one sugar – and go back to my room. I might write some stuff down about the game specific to the opposition and watch some videos, depending on how much time I’ve got, then chill for a bit. For my pre-match meal I’ll have pasta or rice and chicken, then pancakes with maple syrup. I’ll have another coffee, then go to the team meeting and on to the game. I don’t usually have my headphones in when I’m in the changing room, I like to be able to feel everything around me. I don’t really get too nervous if I’ve done my preparation correctly – I’ve played a lot of games now.

S is for… Support

Which team did you follow as a boy?

When I was young it was Man United – not many people know that. But I would say I was a West Brom supporter in the academy!

T is for… Teammate

Best player you’ve played with?

Hayden Hackney or Emmanuel Latte Lath at Middlesbrough. I’d say Latte Lath for now, but it might change! Leo [Scienza] could be at the top of that list by the end of the season.

Emmanuel Latte Lath scored 27 goals in 59 Championship games for Middlesbrough

U is for… Unbelievable

Something about you we wouldn’t expect?

I played tennis to a decent level when I was younger – I had to choose between football and tennis. I don’t really play now though, it’s all about football these days!

V is for… Visitor

Favourite away ground?

I like Loftus Road. Some people don’t like it, but I like it. I used to play FIFA on it back in the day! It’s a good FIFA stadium.

Azaz in action at Loftus Road, where Saints won 2-1 in Tonda Eckert's first game in charge back in November

W is for… Worst

Worst thing about being a footballer?

For me, it’s just really hard to enjoy other things and be present in other things. It’s just 24/7. Even when you go home, people don’t realise everything is catered around football – your diet, your recovery, how you are at home. You don’t really see your friends and family. Obviously I love it, but it’s non-stop, with all the travelling as well.

X is for… X-ray

Worst injury you have suffered?

Probably my ankle, at Plymouth in 2022. I fractured the inside of my ankle and ruptured a ligament on the outside. I didn’t need surgery, but I was out for three months. I went back to Villa and did a lot of extra work in the rehab, the physios were really good, so I came back two weeks early and I was flying.

Y is for… Youngsters

What piece of advice would you give an aspiring footballer?

Don’t follow the crowd. So many people think that they’ve made it, or they’re going to make it, because of their ability. People might laugh at you for doing extra work, calling you 'busy' or whatever, but those are the ones that make it. Be your own person, don’t listen to pressure from teammates like, 'why are you doing that? No one else is doing that!' They are the people who make it.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis: Great teammate, questionable banter

Z is for… Zzzzzz

Whose banter could send you to sleep?

In this team? Taylor (Harwood-Bellis). Tay’s banter isn’t going to send me to sleep because he’s so loud, but I’ll say Tay. Just awful.

This interview was originally published inside SAINTS, the club’s matchday programme, for this season’s home game against Coventry in December. Each edition of the programme contains a feature interview with a current player or the head coach.

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