How did Joe Gomez become a Premier League champion? We asked his PE teacher

Did Joe always have a special talent for football? And if so, how could you tell?

When I joined the school as a teacher, Joe was entering Year 10. I mentored a group of players who were joining the day release scheme where they would spend an afternoon or day off school, training with their football clubs. Joe was highly regarded at his club, and he was selected at 15 years old to represent the under-18s team.

Joe has a real athletic ability and was talented in a range of sports. He was marked highly in all areas for his GCSE in Physical Education, and he could have played any sport to a high level.

We were not surprised when his England call up came at 16 and he was called on at a young age to represent Charlton’s first team.

What was he like to teach and did he work hard in general?

Joe was a pleasure to teach and his attitude towards his studies and his school work were much like his focus for football. He was dedicated, committed and aspired to be the best that he could in all aspects of life at Forest Hill School.

He went on to achieve an A* at GCSE - it’s a testament to his work ethic that the time he missed at school while playing football did not detract from his studies, he would make sure he caught up and completed extra revision alongside his training.

Is there a story that sums up what he was like?

Joe was a professional from an early age. He is dedicated to making sure he is in the best physical shape to perform. My memories of Joe are of arriving at school at 7am every morning to find him and Matt Owen (a rugby player with Scarlets) tapping their watches and waiting to be let into the gym to work out.

Joe is very appreciative of everyone who supports him. I know he will often go through the hundreds of messages he gets after a game congratulating him and respond individually to each. I think this shows a lot about his character and how humble he is as a person.

Which local parks or facilities did he play football in?

Joe would have played most of his school games at Elm Lane in Catford which Forest Hill School uses for PE lessons and fixtures. When Joe is back in London, he uses Ladywell Arena to keep fit and to provide a softer surface to run on.

Does he maintain a relationship with the school?

Joe still keeps in touch – when he was in London and playing for Charlton he would often visit us to catch up with the PE team. We are working on getting Joe back in to run an assembly for the boys when he has some free time. He is very good at signing anything that we send up to him for fundraising purposes, which we are really thankful for.

How does his success affect your current students – have you seen interest in football grow in school since he moved to the Premier League?

We offer our students a wide range of sports at Forest Hill School, and PE gives them the opportunity to develop key skills, teamwork and resilience.  We are very proud of all our ex-students who have had success and careers in a range of sports.

As an ex Forest Hill student myself, I know how important teachers can be in creating positive role models and this is why we celebrate our alumni. Football will always be popular at an inner London boys’ school, but Joe’s success has given students a role model, and a real sense of the fact that it could be them if they work hard.

Since Joe moved to Liverpool we have definitely noticed a few more Liverpool supporters and we always get a lot of interest on school tours when parents see him on our notice boards!

What advice would you give to your aspiring football stars at Forest Hill?

Most importantly, you need to have a good attitude both at your clubs and at school. This is one of the reasons Joe has achieved success. Work hard and be prepared to accept adversity, whether it be rejection from a team, losing a game or being injured. You also need to ensure that as much as you have your dreams of being a sports star that you have something to fall back on if you are not successful.

And lastly enjoy sport and play with a smile – it’s good for you  both physically and mentally.