James Ward-Prowse speaks to Sky Sports after his £30m move to West Ham from Southampton; he is one free-kick goal away from David Beckham's record; ; watch Ward-Prowse's West Ham debut at home to Chelsea live on Sky Sports' Super Sunday; kick-off 4.30pm
Sunday 20 August 2023 18:12, UK
In his Southampton farewell video, there was a clip of a teenage James Ward-Prowse revealing two career aims: to get a scholarship with the Saints and to play for England. Internally, there was another dream - and that was to be David Beckham.
Not similar to David Beckham, or close to David Beckham. To actually be him.
"I copied a few of his hairstyles along the way," the midfielder tells Sky Sports about his childhood days. "I went for the mohican, the grade two all over."
The midfielder's long-term association with Beckham through free-kick-taking has been long known and talked about. But the link between the pair went up a notch when Ward-Prowse took the No 7 shirt at new club West Ham, following his £30m move from Southampton.
Needless to say that the 28-year-old has been wearing that number on his back for years given his long-term fandom of Beckham.
"To emulate him in that way with the No 7 is a good opportunity as he was someone I emulated growing up in the garden," Ward-Prowse says when asked about his new squad number and its link to his childhood hero.
"It was just in general, the way that he was. I would watch his game on the TV live and I would be straight out in the garden trying to perfect it, shouting 'Beckham'!
"It was the classic Mum calling you in for dinner but I wanted to keep practicing. And I smashed a few greenhouses along the way!
"But it's all been worth it - every time Mum reminds me of that, I say, 'look at where doing those things have got me now'."
And look where he is now. Ward-Prowse stands one away from equalling Beckham's all-time Premier League record for free-kick goals. All the hours spent in his parents' garden on the south coast have paid off.
The midfielder speaks regularly about his career going full circle. For example, that scene of his mother calling him back in from free-kick practice? That's now him, with his toddler son Oscar beginning his first steps into youth football.
"He obviously sees his dad up close doing it on a weekly basis and it's nice seeing him start his love for the game," says a proud Ward Prowse Snr.
But equalling and then eclipsing Beckham's record would be the pinnacle full orbit around Ward-Prowse's life. Does that create pressure on the next free-kick?
"Not really," Ward-Prowse replies. "Because you have lots of pressures day to day anyway.
"It's in the back of my mind for sure but of course it's something I'm aiming for. But what will be, will be."
Even then, Ward-Prowse does end up speaking candidly about the pressures of being a free-kick specialist. He names three in this conversation.
The first is the expectation. "You feel the stadium sort of expecting it," says Ward-Prowse when talking about stepping up to the free-kick mark. "Which is a good thing but also a bad thing as I can't be perfect every time."
Then, comes the actual technique. It has not gone unnoticed that every single one of Ward-Prowse's free-kick goals have come from the left of the area, or dead centre. None have come from the right channel.
"Someone's been looking at my stats!" Ward-Prowse cheekily says when this journalist puts that data to him. "And the stats would suggest that [I struggle from the right], yeah.
"But I am really confident in my ability, I've taken a lot of free-kicks down the years and I know what works, and what doesn't."
And thirdly comes the feeling that Ward-Prowse is only known for his set-piece ability. "I believe that maybe I do get stereotyped with that set-piece thing," he says. "But it's up to me to show people that I can do more than that."
But that's where West Ham come in. Yes, the Hammers showed last season they can covert set-pieces well - scoring 11 goals from their 20 shots from dead-ball scenarios in the campaign.
But Ward-Prowse reveals his early conversations with David Moyes have included the midfielder's all-round game, not just his set plays.
"I've worked very hard over the course of my career to work on lots of different things, not just the set-pieces," says the player.
"Having spoken to the manager, there are other qualities within that I've been brought in for as well.
"I played against West Ham quite a few times over the years so I know what a West Ham team and what a West Ham player looks like. It's built on that hard work and never-say-die attitude and you can feel that from the fans.
"Playing against a David Moyes team, you know you're going to be working against a team that is well-organised, hard to beat and ruthless on the counter-attack. That's what we're going to be working on over the next few weeks."
There are longer-term aspirations for Ward-Prowse, especially at international level. The midfielder was dropped from the England squad for the last two international tournaments. Once is understandable, twice is hard to take.
"It was tough, but that's football, things don't always work out in the way that you want to," says Ward-Prowse. "I could control my performances in the lead-up to those tournaments for Southampton and I was happy with them.
"But ultimately it's not my decision and the focus comes back to me and what I can do for club level. But if I do that to he best of my ability, England and international football will come.
"It only gives me more motivation to play even better for your club and enhance your chances. The onus is on me now.
"Just getting the move to West Ham isn't a guarantee I can get to the Euros. I still have to go out and perform to the best of my ability. There are no guarantees in football."
For now, just like he was in his parents' garden, Ward-Prowse is imagining himself in Beckham mode again. A free-kick on his West Ham debut, at home to Chelsea in a London derby, in front of the Sky Sports cameras, to equal the Beckham record.
"That's the dream, it's something I've been thinking about all for the whole week really," he admits.
"But you can't control when those things will happen. You don't get many free-kicks in a game so you have to make sure when you have them, you make the most of the opportunity."
Should Ward-Prowse stand over the ball in Sunday's London derby, there will be that almighty hush around the home crowd. Will there be a roar to follow? Let's find out…
Watch James Ward-Prowse's West Ham debut at home to Chelsea live on Sky Sports' Super Sunday this weekend; kick-off 4.30pm
