Inside a private cinema room on the ground floor of a modern apartment block in Canary Wharf, Aaron Wan-Bissaka is enjoying something rarely afforded to professional footballers: a moment of peace and quiet.
It is his day off. Dressed in a new tracksuit and speaking softly, he sinks into a plush seat with the same composed demeanour that has defined his game. Afterwards, he says with a smile, the plan is simple: take a nap.
That understated presence has long shaped Wan-Bissaka’s identity, a player more comfortable letting performances speak for themselves than seeking attention. Now with West Ham after a formative spell at Manchester United, he is in reflective mood, revisiting a journey that has carried him from London estates to Old Trafford and back again.
As the conversation unfolds, the story is as much about family and sacrifice as it is about football. Long before the bright lights of the Premier League, Wan-Bissaka’s football education began on the patch of grass outside his childhood home.
‘I was probably age five when I first fell in love with football,’ he says. ‘It was just me and my brother in the estate playing around with a ball. We would go out to the green opposite our house to play. We’d call it our Wembley.
‘It didn’t really click until around 16, when I realised there was a genuine chance of becoming a professional. That’s when I saw the opportunity to put my foot down and properly chase the dream.’
Dressed in a new tracksuit and speaking softly, Aaron Wan-Bissaka is in reflective mood when he meets Daily Mail Sport
Though Wan-Bissaka grew up idolising Thierry Henry, he has grown into a highly dependable, no-nonsense full back
Like many London kids of his generation, his first football idol was Thierry Henry. ‘I always wanted to be him,’ says Wan-Bissaka. ‘Honestly, I used to have this vision on me being him, and growing up to be that sort of player. He was my idol. I think it was because of his composure. He scored lots of goals but he also carried the team. He was a leader. My whole family were Arsenal fans when I was growing up, too.’
Wan-Bissaka’s boyhood dream contrasts with his reputation as a no-nonsense defender, and the 28-year-old’s career was ultimately forged through family resilience and a demanding relationship with his father.
‘I didn’t realise how much my parents were sacrificing for my dream to begin with,’ he says. ‘When I got into secondary school, which is the age when you start to want things like trainers and boots, I was quite demanding. But they would brush it aside and be like, “You have to wait a couple of months”. That’s when I realised that it wasn’t easy for my parents to give me the things I was asking for.
‘They worked cleaning jobs to afford my boots and my dad would get in trouble for leaving work early to bring me to training.’
His father Ambrose’s influence came through discipline rather than praise. ‘It was difficult because there was a language barrier between us. His English wasn’t great and my French wasn’t great so there were only a few words exchanged at times,’ recalls Wan-Bissaka, who has now played nine times for the country of his father’s birth, DR Congo. They will face either New Caledonia or Jamaica next month in FIFA’s inter-confederation play-offs in Zapopan, Mexico, for a place at this summer’s World Cup.
‘We mainly spoke about football. But he was always critiquing me or telling me what I could do better. It was never praise. I have to say, I found it confusing at the time. I always wondered why he wouldn’t praise me. I used to question myself: “Am I not doing enough?”‘
‘Even after I scored, I would come off the pitch and he wouldn’t be pleased. I used to just think to myself, “Is one goal not enough?” But then as I got older I started to understand it. He just wanted me to test myself and become the best version of myself.’
After taking to Premier League life with ease at Crystal Palace, where he won player of the year in his first full season in senior football, a £50million move to United soon followed. It was the biggest step of Wan-Bissaka’s career – and one of the most challenging periods of his life.
Wan-Bissaka felt extremely homesick after making a big-money move to Manchester United. ‘Most days I’d just be at home alone, playing PlayStation until it was time to sleep,’ he admits
The defender’s positive relationship with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was a source of reassurance. ‘He’s a great person and we got along really well,’ says Wan-Bissaka of his former boss
‘When I moved to United, I really missed home, my family and friends especially,’ he reveals. ‘After training, I used to take the train back to London almost every day. It’s only about two hours, but it’s still a big commitment, and eventually it became exhausting, so I knew I had to stop.
‘It was something I wasn’t used to at all. I’d always been comfortable at home in London, surrounded by familiar people and places, so for everything to change overnight was difficult to adapt to. Most days I’d just be at home alone, playing PlayStation until it was time to sleep. I struggled. It was probably the lowest I’d felt.’
Wan-Bissaka’s big-money arrival from Palace in 2019 – which coincided with a first England call-up, though he was never capped due to injury – came with a mountain of expectation. But he quickly became a fixture in the United XI, starting more matches than any player across Europe’s top-five leagues in 2020-21.
His early relationship with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer offered reassurance amid his struggles off the pitch.
‘My relationship with Ole was good from the start,’ he recalls. ‘He’s a great person and we got along really well, and I think the rest of the players felt the same about him. He’s the kind of manager who backs you straight away. Once he gives you a job to do, it’s up to you to trust yourself and go out and deliver it.’
Managerial turnover would later test that security, particularly under Ralf Rangnick and Erik ten Hag.
‘Obviously, it’s football, every manager has their preferences,’ he says. ‘They might like you or they might not, and that’s just part of the game. When he (Rangnick) came in, it wasn’t the best period for me and there was a lot of criticism around…
‘It was difficult when Erik ten Hag arrived – as soon as he did, he told me I wasn’t in his plans. But when I tried to leave, he said he didn’t want me to go. I couldn’t understand it. That was tough mentally, because it left me wondering what I was supposed to do next.
Wan-Bissaka initially struggled to gel as effectively with Solskjaer’s successors, Ralf Rangnick and Erik ten Hag
His relationship with Ten Hag ultimately improved, and the pair lifted the Carabao Cup with United in 2023
‘I just kept my head down and told myself to keep training, keep improving, and play my game. Staying motivated was hard though, especially when you’re training without the clear goal of playing.
‘But the people around me guided me in the right way and encouraged me to keep going. Eventually things turned around and started to improve. You could say I changed or developed tactically under him, because that was something he wanted.’
Clarity, he says, is invaluable. And something the right back received from Michael Carrick. He speaks highly of United’s recently-appointed interim boss, praising the simplicity of his messaging during his previous caretaker spell in 2021.
No wonder, then, that he backs Carrick to be given the permanent job after such an impressive start second time around.
‘He’s someone you can trust,’ says Wan-Bissaka. ‘He will also trust you back if you buy into him and what he’s looking to do. If you trust him, he will trust you.
‘He was quite simple in what he wanted from you. The boys were happy with him and the games he had when he was the manager. With him back at the club now, they are in a good place as a team. I think he should be given the full-time role. I think he deserves it.’
If Manchester represented pressure and growth, West Ham has provided renewal. The move back to London offered proximity to family and a fresh football environment.
His impressive form in his debut season saw him named ‘Hammer of the Year’ in May, beating out fan favourite Jarrod Bowen to the award.
Wan-Bissaka opens up to Daily Mail Sport’s Charlotte Daly about his career – both the highs and the lows
‘At West Ham, I’ve been really happy with how things have been going,’ says Wan-Bissaka. ‘You can probably tell from the smile on my face’
Though the club have struggled this season – sitting in the relegation zone with 11 games to go, despite an upturn in form under Nuno Espirito Santo – he has no regrets about making the move.
‘I was in two minds (about moving initially), to be honest,’ he says. ‘I had a year left on my contract, but I felt I needed to get back on my feet and start playing regularly – not just every couple of games.
‘Looking back on my time at Manchester United, I’m grateful for it. Those experiences made me who I am today and helped me both on and off the pitch, especially mentally.
‘With all the noise and scrutiny at a club like United, a change of environment can make a big difference. At West Ham, it’s not as intense… I’ve been really happy with how things have been going. You can probably tell from the smile on my face every day. I am playing with a smile too.’
