\n \n \n Feature Article – Nico O’Reilly<\/title><br \/>\n <meta content=\"Feature Article - Nico O'Reilly\" property=\"og:title\"\/><br \/>\n <meta content=\"https:\/\/cdn.prod.website-files.com\/67f5040b0df1c6355d8a0ded\/68935c9f9ab889a4e240a188_OG%20Image.png\" property=\"og:image\"\/><br \/>\n <meta content=\"Feature Article - Nico O'Reilly\" name=\"twitter:title\"\/><br \/>\n <meta content=\"https:\/\/cdn.prod.website-files.com\/67f5040b0df1c6355d8a0ded\/68935c9f9ab889a4e240a188_OG%20Image.png\" name=\"twitter:image\"\/><br \/>\n <meta content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" name=\"viewport\"\/><br \/>\n <meta content=\"Webflow\" name=\"generator\"\/>\n <link href=\"https:\/\/www.goal.com\/goaleditions\/css\/normalize.css\" rel=\"stylesheet\" type=\"text\/css\"\/>\n <link href=\"https:\/\/www.goal.com\/goaleditions\/css\/webflow.css\" rel=\"stylesheet\" type=\"text\/css\"\/>\n <link href=\"https:\/\/www.goal.com\/goaleditions\/css\/goal-editions-06ef9328b37-dd540ecff4dee.webflow.css\" rel=\"stylesheet\" type=\"text\/css\"\/>\n<link href=\"https:\/\/www.goal.com\/goaleditions\/images\/favicon.png\" rel=\"shortcut icon\" type=\"image\/x-icon\"\/>\n <link href=\"https:\/\/www.goal.com\/goaleditions\/images\/webclip.png\" rel=\"apple-touch-icon\"\/>\n<p> <!-- Google tag (gtag.js) --><\/p>\n<p><\/head><br \/>\n<body class=\"body-2\" id=\"wp_automatic_ReadabilityBody\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-section\">\n<div class=\"article-hero-background-blue\">\n<div class=\"div-block-164\">\n<div class=\"div-block-170\">\n<p class=\"label-2\">Interview by:<\/p>\n<p class=\"player-name-2\">Richard Martin<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"div-block-93-copy-copy\">\n<div class=\"main-section-copy-copy-copy-copy\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.goal.com\/goaleditions\/images\/Frame-26.svg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Play button\" class=\"image-11-copy\"\/><br \/>\n <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.goal.com\/goaleditions\/images\/16x9_2.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.goal.com\/images\/16x9_2-p-500.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.goal.com\/images\/16x9_2-p-800.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.goal.com\/images\/16x9_2-p-1080.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/www.goal.com\/images\/16x9_2-p-1600.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/www.goal.com\/images\/16x9_2.jpg 1920w\" alt=\"\" class=\"image-30-copy\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"teaser\">\n<p class=\"teaser-paragraph\">Music and football are the two main things that come to mind when people think of Manchester and the same could be said for Nico O\u2019Reilly. <\/p>\n<p>When the Manchester City and England left-back is not on the pitch, he can usually be found with his headphones on, blasting out rap music. And when he doesn\u2019t have a match or training, he likes nothing more than watching live music.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.goal.com\/goaleditions\/images\/Frame-489500.svg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"arrows\"\/>\n <\/div>\n<div class=\"div-block-88\">\n<p class=\"answear-paragraph-copy\">\u201cMusic is very important to me. I listen to it all the time, since I was new born,\u201d O\u2019Reilly tells <strong>GOAL Editions<\/strong>. \u201cAnywhere I am, I just put my headphones on.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His earliest memories are of listening to RnB and hip hop at home with his mother. Ja Rule was the backing track to O\u2019Reilly\u2019s everyday life when his mum was driving him to school or training. He soon developed his own taste with the help of his friends, lasering in on American and English rap. He consumes so much music that he clocked 700 hours of listening in his 2025 Spotify Wrapped. His favourite artist right now is Gunna and he was among the Georgia rapper\u2019s\u2019 top 1% listeners in the world last year, receiving a personal video from him. <\/p>\n<p>Following closely behind is Drake, who he says \u201cinfluenced me a lot\u201d, Lil\u2019 Baby, Future and Dave. And they all play a huge part in his pre-match routine.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<section class=\"section-5\">\n<div class=\"img-left-copy\">\n<div class=\"image-xavi-simons-anime\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.goal.com\/goaleditions\/images\/_B019729.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"Auto\" height=\"Auto\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.goal.com\/images\/_B019729-p-500.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.goal.com\/images\/_B019729-p-800.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.goal.com\/images\/_B019729-p-1080.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/www.goal.com\/images\/_B019729.jpg 1680w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1680px) 100vw, 1680px\" class=\"edition03-img1\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"div-block-141-copy\">\n<p class=\"answear-paragraph-copy-copy\">\u201cAs soon as I get on the bus I put my headphones on,\u201d he explains. \u201cI put the noise cancelling on so I can’t hear anything else. I have it on shuffle on my playlist and go from there. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the dressing room as well. Pretty much all the way from the bus to going to warm up, I\u2019ll have my headphones on. It just makes me focus and get ready for the game. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome people like to talk to the staff or team-mates, everyone\u2019s different. But personally I like to put my headphones on and listen to music.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>O\u2019Reilly\u2019s pre-match routine has worked wonders for him, with his favourite artists providing the soundtrack to a stunning rise. Over the last 18 months he has gone from a City academy hopeful to locking down his place in Pep Guardiola\u2019s starting XI, being the hero in the Carabao Cup final win over Arsenal and becoming an England international just in time for the World Cup.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"div-block-88\">\n<p class=\"answear-paragraph-copy\">Guardiola has described him as a \u201cbig, big presence\u201d and recently hailed him as \u201cthe signing of the season\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>It is little wonder that O\u2019Reilly loves going to gigs. After all, he knows a thing or two about putting on a show. <\/p>\n<p>He first caught the eye while playing for City\u2019s under-18 team in 2023 with a salvo of eye-catching goals. First he netted an outrageous scorpion kick to snatch a last-minute victory against Middlesbrough. It was the start of a whirlwind journey. He was named in the first team squad for City\u2019s pre-season tour of the USA in 2024 and made a real impression.Next he was starting the Community Shield at Wembley against Manchester United. <\/p>\n<p>He was soon propelling the team to the FA Cup final, with talismanic performances against Plymouth Argyle and Bournemouth. And the sight of a homegrown City fan from Manchester making his way in the team was a shot in the arm for fans during an otherwise terrible season.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<section class=\"section-8\">\n<div class=\"div-block-240\">\n<div class=\"div-block-237\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.goal.com\/goaleditions\/images\/_B019467.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1680px) 100vw, 1680px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.goal.com\/images\/_B019467-p-500.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.goal.com\/images\/_B019467-p-800.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.goal.com\/images\/_B019467-p-1080.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/www.goal.com\/images\/_B019467-p-1600.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/www.goal.com\/images\/_B019467.jpg 1680w\" alt=\"\" class=\"image-71\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"div-block-88\">\n<p class=\"answear-paragraph-copy\">O\u2019Reilly\u2019s first Premier League goal came in April. He played in the Club World Cup in June and by October had received his first England call-up. In December he scored in City\u2019s 2-1 win at Real Madrid, being named Player of the Match at the Bernabeu. Channeling his favourite rappers, he made Europe\u2019s most iconic stadium in the world his stage.<\/p>\n<p>And like any top musician, he is adept at performing in a variety of scenarios. He took next to no time to adapt to left-back but this season has also been deployed in defensive midfield and attacking midfield. <\/p>\n<p>Playing further forward has given him a licence to take on more attacking responsibility and in a recent game against Newcastle he played like a centre-forward, scoring twice and earning lavish praise from Wayne Rooney and Micah Richards. <\/p>\n<p>He returned to left-back for the Wembley showdown with Arsenal and proved City\u2019s secret weapon, scoring twice in the space of four minutes to effectively decide the game. The occasion was instantly dubbed the O\u2019Reilly final and in the eyes of City fans he gained rockstar status.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"div-block-88\">\n<p class=\"answear-paragraph-copy\">While football has always been the career he wanted, O\u2019Reilly sees the appeal in being a musician. \u201cI can see why people enjoy it, the lifestyle around it,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n<p>He moved in the same circles as grime artist Aitch, who grew up in Moston, the northern Manchester neighbourhood where O\u2019Reilly took his first steps as a footballer with Moston Tigers. <\/p>\n<p>He has grown to know Aitch personally but insists \u201cwe don\u2019t really talk about football.\u201d There is an obvious reason why. Aitch is a staunch Manchester United fan.In another reality, however, O\u2019Reilly could have been a United player. The first team to scout him was United although City soon followed and made their approach, as did Liverpool and Everton. O’Reilly grew up in a household of United and City supporters but he chose to follow City, joining his mother and sister. So naturally he wanted to play for City. And he preferred their training sessions. <\/p>\n<p>Another rappers O\u2019Reilly admires, Dave, is a well-known United fan. The London-born grime artist\u2019s lyrics are peppered with football references, none more than Thiago Silva, the track which entered the national conscience when he pulled a fan out of the crowd at Glastonbury to rap with him. O\u2019Reilly remembers the moment well.<\/p>\n<p>He is yet to go to Glastonbury or any other music festival but his face lights up when he is asked to curate his own festival line up, picking five headliners, dead or alive. He gives the task plenty of thought, only wanting to choose artists he has not previously seen. He eventually opts for Gunna, 50 Cent, Lil Durk, Neo and Michael Jackson. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"div-block-142-copy\">\n<div class=\"div-block-54-copy-copy\">\n<div class=\"spotlight-box-edition---blue\">\n<p class=\"paragraph-10\">O\u2019Reilly has 0161, Manchester\u2019s dialing code, tattooed on his bicep<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"div-block-102\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.goal.com\/goaleditions\/images\/Nico-OReilly---1.png\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"Auto\" height=\"Auto\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.goal.com\/images\/Nico-OReilly---1-p-500.png 500w, https:\/\/www.goal.com\/images\/Nico-OReilly---1-p-800.png 800w, https:\/\/www.goal.com\/images\/Nico-OReilly---1.png 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" class=\"image-34\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"div-block-88\">\n<p class=\"answear-paragraph-copy\">Going to gigs is a little more complicated for O\u2019Reilly since becoming a City first-teamer and England player but he still gets out when he can. He went to see Drake last summer at Co-Op Live, the biggest indoor arena in the UK which is just a stone\u2019s throw from the Etihad Stadium.<\/p>\n<p>While footballers and musicians have very different lifestyles, O\u2019Reilly can see parallels between the two fields, in particular the pressure they have to deal with.<\/p>\n<p> \u201cDefinitely, if you\u2019ve got an album dropping and you get a bad reaction or bad comments and all these months and time spent in the studio and it\u2019s not getting good feedback\u2026, they have pressure on them,\u201d he reflects.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"div-block-142-copy\">\n<div class=\"div-block-54-copy-copy\">\n<div class=\"spotlight-box-edition---blue\">\n<p class=\"paragraph-10\">O\u2019Reilly has played more minutes than any other player in his age category in the Premier League this season<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"div-block-102\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.goal.com\/goaleditions\/images\/_B019556.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1680px) 100vw, 1680px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.goal.com\/images\/_B019556-p-500.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.goal.com\/images\/_B019556-p-800.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.goal.com\/images\/_B019556-p-1080.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/www.goal.com\/images\/_B019556.jpg 1680w\" alt=\"\" class=\"image-34\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"div-block-88\">\n<p class=\"answear-paragraph-copy\">Footballers are used to getting barrages of negative reactions after each game but O\u2019Reilly doesn\u2019t feel the weight of pressure on his shoulders.\u201cNot at all, I love pressure,\u201d he says with a serious look. \u201cPressure makes diamonds.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>O\u2019Reilly\u2019s chutzpah will stand him in good stead come the business end of City\u2019s Premier League and Champions League campaigns and as England look to go deep in their quest to win the World Cup. However far O\u2019Reilly ends up going, music will be guiding him every step of the way.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<section class=\"recirculation-section\">\n<div class=\"div-block-124-copy\">\n<div class=\"div-block-125-copy\">\n<div class=\"div-block-127-copy\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.goal.com\/goaleditions\/images\/WJL00515.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1619px) 100vw, 1619px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.goal.com\/images\/WJL00515-p-500.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.goal.com\/images\/WJL00515-p-800.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.goal.com\/images\/WJL00515-p-1080.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/www.goal.com\/images\/WJL00515-p-1600.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/www.goal.com\/images\/WJL00515.jpg 1619w\" alt=\"\" class=\"image-43-copy\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"div-block-125-copy\">\n<div class=\"div-block-127-copy\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.goal.com\/goaleditions\/images\/1x1-1_1.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.goal.com\/images\/1x1-1_1-p-500.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.goal.com\/images\/1x1-1_1-p-800.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.goal.com\/images\/1x1-1_1.jpg 960w\" alt=\"\" class=\"image-43\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/body>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Feature Article – Nico O’Reilly Interview by: Richard Martin Music and football are the two…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11798,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11797","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11797","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11797"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11797\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11798"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11797"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11797"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11797"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}