Issue
07
Photography
Sharif Hamza
Words
Jack Stanley
Published
Reading Time
9 Min Read
As the final whistle blew at the end of the last Merseyside derby to ever be played at Goodison Park, Liverpool’s Curtis Jones ran half the length of the pitch and squared up to Abdoulaye Doucoure, his Everton counterpart. Seconds before their coming together, Everton had rescued a late draw. The incident was sparked by Doucoure’s celebrations in front of the Liverpool fans, and both players were sent off for their role in the fracas. It was a controversial and combustible end to an important game, one rich with emotion and, crucially, importance in the league.
“I’m also a fan, my emotions were high. I’m a passionate lad and I always want to win,” says Jones. “I know what the fans would’ve done to him if they could have got their hands on him, so that’s what I was thinking about. I care loads about the fans and the club.” After the melee subsided and the players left the stadium, Jones was approached by two kids, desperate to praise him for his actions at the final whistle. “I told them don’t be doing that at school,” he laughs.
While Jones was shown a straight red card at the end of the Everton game, it reminded people of how much he cares about the club. He was born in Toxteth, a poor neighbourhood a stone’s throw from the city centre, and grew up supporting Liverpool. “Being a Scouse lad, I understand how much it means to the fans around the world,” he says. “I’m playing in the team as a player, but I’m also playing in the team as a fan. If I’m in the stands, how would I want a Scouse kid playing in my team to play? What do I want to see from him? Of course you want him to score and assist goals, but the basic is that he should have the passion and the hunger. He should run more than anyone.”
Growing up, playing for Liverpool was the sort of thing that Jones could only dream of. As a child, he always wanted to have a ball at his feet and whenever he could, he was playing football. It was a childhood spent climbing over school fences to use their goal posts, screaming “Gerrard” every time he scored and imagining Anfield cheering for him as they had for his hero. It’s a childhood familiar to almost everyone born in the red half of Liverpool, and it’s helped Jones understand exactly what it means to be playing for his boyhood team. “That’s everything if I’m honest,” he says, “I’ve supported the club since I was five or six, it was always the team my family supported and I was surrounded by people who were speaking about it. I look back on the journey I’ve had and all the things I still want to achieve, and I couldn’t be more proud.”
Speaking about his early years, Jones is reluctant to go into too many details away from football. He alludes to the challenges and difficulties of where he grew up, and how it shaped the person and the player he became. “You can get caught up in loads of things that will take you down the wrong path,” he says. “I’ve been in that environment but I’ve taken a different route. I’m one of the few who made it out and now I’m in a position where I can go back and help, speak to the next generation of kids and try and guide them.”
As well as teaching him the value of playing for Liverpool, Jones’ early experiences have helped keep him down to earth while he lives out his childhood dream. “I think being humble comes down to the fact that I don’t forget where I come from, the people who were around me and the ones who tried to help,” he says. Staying humble is an important part of Jones’ life both on and off the pitch. He describes himself as a calm person, and the way he dresses is an extension of this mindset. “My style reflects me,” he adds. “If I feel like I look good, then I’ll feel good. I’m willing to take a risk and do things that people might have opinions on. I don’t mind, though, as long as I’m comfortable in it.”
Jones’ approach extends to improving himself and his game. He’s a big NBA fan, and often looks to the sport for lessons he can apply to football, whether that’s through documentaries about the greats or learning about certain players. After some injury plagued early years, this inspired Jones to change certain aspects of his day-to-day life, focusing on recovery and preparation for whatever comes next. “I’ver always thought that if you want to be the best then you have to live like the best,” he says. “When times are hard, you still stick to your plan. It doesn’t change.”
Ever since he broke into the Liverpool team, he’s understood the importance of pushing himself and trying to improve. “I came around the first team when I was about 17, and that was the first time I really understood how hard I had to work,” he says. “As a young kid, I always thought I was good enough. When I got there, I understood that I was still so far away. I went on a journey.” That early lesson on the rigours of top level football has served Jones well, and steeled him for the challenges and commitment needed at a club like Liverpool.
Currently, Jones is reaping the rewards. It’s been his most consistent season since breaking into the Liverpool first team – more appearances, more goals, more assists – as the club won their record-equalling 20th league title. This season has been one of upheaval, the first of a new era in Liverpool’s history after the emotional end to Jurgen Klopp’s reign. With a new manager, it would be easy for the team to wilt under the changes and the pressure. Instead, they’ve soared.
For Jones, this success is partly down to the bond between players, something he thinks is unique in the league. “The thing with our team is that it’s a family,” he says. “We’ve always just had a different bond. Arne Slot has come in and found his feet, based partly on the vibe he gets off the lads. There are no egos. He can manage us well, he can say what he wants to say, he can coach the team and be comfortable. As a team, we’re laid back, we want to learn and we want to win. The family vibe is a big part of why we’re doing well.”
Jones also confessed that despite Klopp helping him take the next step in his career, he’s preferring life under Slot from a playing perspective. “Jurgen’s style of play wasn’t really one that had suited me, but I adapted well and I learned a lot of things from him,” he says.
“Now, Slot has come in and his style of play is about keeping the ball, creating more and taking more risks. It suits me in terms of how I want to play and how freely I want to play.”
With a more consistent place in the team, Jones has seen his role at the club change. He might only be 24, but he’s played more than 100 Premier League games and established himself as a leader and an important voice in the team. “I don’t want to be seen as a young lad anymore,” he says. “I want to be seen as someone the team can trust and someone the fans can trust.”
This season, that’s extended beyond the Liverpool team. In November, Jones made his debut for England away against Greece. It was a young England team, in transition after the end of Southgate’s era in charge and it showed glimmers of an exciting future. With 10 minutes to go, Jones was found by a cut back from Morgan Gibbs-White and, as calm as you like, flicked the ball into the back of the net. At the final whistle, he took home the Man of the Match award to go with his debut goal.
There was a sense for Liverpool fans of everyone else finally seeing what they’ve seen. A midfielder who can do the boring bits – tidying up at the back, beginning the team’s attacks – as well as scoring a backheeled flick in arguably the biggest game of his career. Since then, Jones has added to his England debut and was included in Thomas Tuchel’s first squad as manager. After doing the business for Liverpool, he’s arrived at the top level of international football. “I always had it in my head that if I’m playing well and scoring goals, helping the team, then I can be in the England team as well,” he says. “When I came in, I was comfortable and I played my game. I went out there and I was myself. It meant a lot to me.”
With his role in the Liverpool team confirmed, and an England career that seems to be on the rise, Jones has achieved everything he dreamed of. There have been two Premier League medals – the club’s only wins in his lifetime – and a host of other domestic trophies. In reality, though, Curtis Jones is just getting started. “I don’t feel like there will ever be a point in my life where I’ll feel like I’m done or I’ve done enough,” he says. There’s always more to achieve, more goals to score, more assists to make and a more important role to play in the team.
Through it all, Jones has moved beyond being an academy graduate or a local lad done good. Having grown up in the heart of Liverpool, he’s putting his stamp on the team and it’s all because of the same determination that took him from Toxteth to the top of the Premier League. “I’m not just here because I’m a Scouser or because I support the team,” he says. “I’m here because I’m good enough.”
