Bryan Mbeumo & Simi Awujo play piano and talk Manchester United 🎹🔴
Bryan Mbeumo and Simi Awujo talk Manchester United, piano and life away from football
In this piano-themed interview, Manchester United’s Bryan Mbeumo and Simi Awujo discuss nerves, adapting to a new head coach, squad togetherness and what it means to play for a club they followed growing up. They also explain how piano and other hobbies help them switch off before both perform, with Awujo also singing.
- Playing piano in front of people makes her more nervous than playing in a Manchester derby — Football is her job and she has learned to manage match nerves, whereas piano nerves are a different kind of pressure.
- A new head coach and lots of change made the start of the season harder, but the team is growing into the campaign and finding form at the right time — She says they knew adapting to a new head coach would not be easy and that they have had to learn and grow into the season; she hopes they can carry that into the derby.
- The squad’s unique togetherness has been a key driver of past success and is the foundation for handling change and difficulty — She says that unity has always been there and that if the team stays together, it can overcome challenges together.
- Togetherness helps create connections on the pitch and therefore improves performance — He links team unity directly to better on-pitch links and better performance.
- People see footballers only through football and do not see the complete person away from the game — He says outsiders do not know players personally and that he has other passions such as piano, video games, chess and drawing.
- Footballers are more than footballers, and hobbies like piano give them a necessary mental break — She says players spend all their hours thinking about and playing football; preparation matters, but switching off mentally is also important.
► Subscribe to Sky Sports Premier League: https://bit.ly/SubscribeSkySportsPL ► Watch Sky Sports with NOW: https://bit.ly/NOWPremierLeagueYT Manchester United's Bryan Mbeumo and Simi Awujo talk about their love for playing the piano and play us some tunes! 00:00 Nerves 00:51 Finding form & togetherness 02:14 From being fans to playing for Man Utd 03:02 Getting into playing piano 04:23 Hobbies & talents outside of football 05:58 Bryan plays piano 08:10 Simi plays piano & sings premierleague football manchesterunited ► Premier League highlights: https://bit.ly/PL2627HL ► MNF, FNF, SNF & Super Sunday analysis: https://bit.ly/SkyMatchAnalysis ► Gary Neville Podcast: https://bit.ly/GaryNevillePodcast ► Saturday Social: https://bit.ly/SkySaturdaySocial ► Buy this season’s shirts: https://bit.ly/SkySportsShop More from Sky Sports on YouTube: ► Sky Sports: http://bit.ly/SkySportsSub ► Sky Sports Boxing: http://bit.ly/SSBoxingSub ► Sky Sports Cricket: http://bit.ly/SubscribeSkyCricket ► Sky Sports Darts: https://bit.ly/SubSkySportsDarts ► Sky Sports Football: http://bit.ly/SSFootballSub ► Sky Sports F1: http://bit.ly/SubscribeSkyF1 ► Sky Sports Golf: https://bit.ly/SubscribeSkySportsGolf ► Sky Sports News: http://bit.ly/SkySportsNewsSub ► Sky Sports Retro: http://bit.ly/SkySportsRetroSub ► Sky Sports WSL: https://bit.ly/SubscribeSkySportsWSL ► Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SkySportsFootball ► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skysportsfootball ► TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skysportsfootball ► X: https://x.com/SkySportsPL ► Website: https://www.skysports.com ► To enquire about licensing Sky Sports content, you can find out more here: https://www.skysports.com/more-sports/news/31754/11434270/license-sky-sports-footage
Transcript
Brian, [music] Simmy, thank you so much for joining us. A bit of an unusual setup for an interview. The nerves are already showing on the faces. >> Yes, I'm always nervous when I play piano in front of people. >> Simmyi, we've heard a bit of yours already and we're impressed. >> Yeah, similar. I mean, I haven't like played in front of a lot of people, but my teammates, so and it makes me nervous a little bit, too. So, it'll be the same that way. >> Okay, Simmy. Next week, a Manchester derby. Are you more nervous playing piano or playing in a Manchester derby? Tell me. >> Oddly enough, probably playing the piano. [laughter] >> I mean, like football's my job now. So, I've had to work on a way to get rid of those kind of nerves. This is a different type of nerve. So, yeah. Tell me about the start of the season because it was a more difficult start, new manager, a lot of change and now feels like you're finding your form at the right time. >> Yeah, I mean we always knew it was not going to be the easiest ride getting a new coach, especially like at the time that we did. Um, it's definitely been a learning curve for us, but like that's what it takes sometimes in football is to just grow into the season and grow into the game. So, I think we've been doing that recently and hopefully we can continue to carry that into the derby. It felt like even in those first couple of games when the results weren't perfect, that there was a real togetherness with the squad, like it seems like you all gel really well, you all really believed in the vision. Tell me about that side of things and why that was important. >> Yeah, I feel like that's always kind of been the case with the team. Um, we do have like a unique togetherness that I think has propelled us to where we've been in the past seasons. Um, so it's good to have that like foundation with us in the time that there was a lot of change, a lot of struggle, a lot of difficulties and new things that were going on. Um, so it's really important that we maintain that togetherness because it's there's always going to be challenges, but if we can stay together as a team, then we can overcome them together. >> And Brian, I guess that's something that you share. You have to have that togetherness and kind of us against the world mentality. >> Yeah, I think this is how you you create links on the pitch. So then you like you can perform better. >> For both of you, is Manchester derby one of the favorite games to play in? >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Yeah. I think so. >> We spoke just a minute ago about how your brother was a Man United fan. You visited Old Trafford when you were growing up. Does it feel like a bit of a full circle moment to be playing in this kind of game when you've had those experiences? >> Yeah, definitely. Like when I first got to the club and made my debut at Old Trafford, it was definitely a full circle moment. Um my brother's a big United fan, so like he supported this journey like from the very beginning and he's also played football, so I always followed in his footsteps as well. Um yeah, so it's super cool to be at this club. >> And Brian, similar for you, right? You were a fan growing up and had the shirt and everything. >> Um been fun and uh my first uh jersey I think it was um from Ronaldo. >> Mhm. >> It's number seven. Um yeah, United one. So yeah, this is a a big big moment for me. >> There's always so many eyes on Man United, both on the women's side, on the men's side. So many people talking about it and I guess that's important to have things like piano where you can just come and switch off. Brian, let's start with you. How did you get into playing piano and why did you get started with it? Uh I had a friend um uh who who could play and u I didn't know about it and um I went to uh a dinner to to his one day and then uh he just started playing and I was just like on my days. It's unbelievable and uh this is when I wanted to to start playing. >> And you've learned just through watching videos and stuff. >> Yes. >> So just YouTube. You don't read music, you just feel it out. >> Yeah. So I just go on YouTube and uh but I need um a video when where where I see the hands. >> Okay. >> And the like the thing was going down and I don't know how how I can play. >> Simmyi, what about you? >> Um yeah, I learned like when I was a kid, my mom put me and my brother in piano lessons. I don't really know what motivated her to do that cuz she didn't play piano. I don't think anyone else in the family did. Um, so I had taken piano lessons growing up and then I think out of defiance for my mom, I stopped I stopped playing for a while. Um, but then it was always something that I did enjoy and like I love to do. So I kind of came back to it like on my own. >> And you're a very talented person. We were hearing that you can sing, you can play piano, you can do coding, you can speak languages. Brian, you've got some other talents as well, right? Piano, chess, I'm sure some languages as well. Is it funny sometimes people look at footballers and just think all they do is football and talk about them just in that context but there's a whole life and a person behind that. >> Yeah. I think like people who look at footballers uh only see football and they like sometime we we don't show a lot but uh they don't see like yeah we play football and that's it. uh but they don't know us personally and uh yeah obviously I've got few passions like uh yeah the piano video game um chess uh I like to draw as well >> Sydney how does it help you switch off? How does coming to something like piano just change your mindset? >> We're so much bigger than footballers. You know we have different things that we like to do and for me I think it just helps me to get away from everything. like we spend all of our hours like thinking about football, playing football and like it is important of course to prepare for games and stuff like that, but it's also good as well to get a little bit of a mental break. So stuff like this helps me to do that. Things like this I would say I'm a little bit more relaxed with. I think like for me it is a space away. So like I can't judge it too harshly or else it no longer becomes that. Ryan. >> Uh, I think it's more like an enjoyment. Uh, especially when I play piano because, uh, I know it's something different and yeah, just like relax and enjoy it. >> Should we hear some then? I think we're ready. So, Brian, we'll let you go first. What are you going to play for us? >> Nol Bianke from NLG. >> [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat. [music] >> [music] [music] [music] [music] >> Wow. Too much pressure. Good. >> That was amazing. You can tell you're a perfectionist, by the way. How did you find that? >> Yeah, it was okay. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Simmy, what did you think? >> That was really good. Thank you very much. >> That was really good. >> It was really impressive. Timmy, you're What are you going for? More of a pop vibe. Yeah. >> Yeah. Definitely more of a pop vibe. >> Okay. And Brian, you're going to sing along, right? [laughter] >> If I No, no, no. I was joking. I was totally joking, but I appreciate you took it seriously. Okay, Simmy, go for it. >> [music] >> I'm jealous of the rain [singing and music] that falls upon [singing and music] your skin. It's closer [music and singing] than my hands. Oh, I'm jealous of the rain. I'm jealous [singing] of [music] the wind that ripples [singing and music] through your clothes. is closer [singing and music] than your shadow. Oh, I'm done with cuz I wished you [music] the best [singing] of all this world could give. I told [music and singing] you when you left me, there's nothing to forive. [singing] But I always thought you'd [music] come back. Tell [singing] me all you found was heartbreaking [music and singing] misery. It's hard for me [singing] to say I'm jealous of the way you're [singing and music] happy without me. I'm jealous [singing and music] of the night [music] with [singing] you. I'm wondering who you lay next to. >> [music] >> I'm jealous [singing] of the love. The [singing] love that wasn't [music] here. Gone for [singing] someone [music] else to share. Oh, I'm jealous of [music] you. >> Oh gosh, I messed up so bad. >> No, you didn't. That was amazing. That I mean, seriously, that was so good. I feel emotional. >> That was so good. >> I love how both of you were incredible and both of you were like, "Oh, that wasn't good. [laughter] I didn't do well there." Do it again in the future, maybe. >> Why not? [laughter] >> Thank you both. >> If you guys keep the piano here, maybe. >> Yeah. Message to everyone. Keep the piano here. Thank you very so much.