Post exclusive: Chelsea player support officer is a rugby celebrity, but he has a huge role

Hupu, August 6th, Daily Mail exclusively wrote the column of the Chelsea coaching staff, the British rugby legend Isa.

Even though he is elegant by nature, Isa never shy away from what he should do.

He would do this in front of a large group of peers when necessary, and this pragmatic attitude would be helpful to Chelsea considering the average age of Enzo Maresca's players.

They are the youngest team in the Premier League, and as the oldest outfield player on the team, the responsibility to set an example cannot fall only on Tosin Adarabiojo, the 27-year-old is called "Uncle Tosin" in the locker room.

Six months ago, when the Daily Mail broke the news of Isa's career change, it was unexpected, even though he had been working to enter the football world for some time.

He was a former Samoa international, born in New Zealand, raised in Sydney, and supported Liverpool since childhood. His love for the Reds was due to his father being a big fan of Ian Rush.

When Isa signed with the Vikings in 2011, he was infected by the enthusiasm of the people of Merseyside. He visited Anfield Stadium as a fan for the first time, and after transferring to the Warriors, he played there in the 2019 "Magic Weekend" event.

He even made a touchdown in front of the Popular Stand, but failed to celebrate the goal because the team was behind the Warrington Wolves at the time. A week later, Isa went to Madrid to watch the 2019 Champions League final in Liverpool's 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur.

He has established contact with his favorite team and even went to Liverpool's AXA training center to communicate with the academy players. He talked about the team's culture and leadership and got along well with Barry Letas, the head coach of the Under-21 youth team who left the club in June this year after 12 years of coaching.

But Chelsea signed him in January after retired from the team because Chelsea conducted in-depth research on his amateur activities.

His official title is "Player Support and Development Officer", and his appointment is believed to be jointly facilitated by Performance Director Bryce Cavana, Sports Director Paul Winstanley, Lawrence Stewart and Maresca.

Chelsea players will tell you that they are grateful for Isa's company because he perfectly combines his schedule with the players' schedule.

He is present in every training, every journey, every game. Warm up on the court. When the player leaves the court, he shakes hands with each player at the side of the player's passage. He listens to the players and communicates with them.

Last month, Spanish-speaking players such as Enzo Fernandez, Pedro Neto and Mark Cucurelia were shopping in Miami, and at the door of Richard Miller's store, a stranger with a phone taking a photo suddenly stepped forward to meet him, where the price of a watch was even more expensive than a house. Isa came forward to stop them.

Kesedo and his teammates were also happy because he agreed to perform a naked Haka dance in the locker room after a previous victory. They all shouted together, and members of the Chelsea coaching staff, including Maresca, flocked to celebrate Isa.

After the European Union won the championship, Chelsea's boss and management seemed reluctant to join the players' celebrations. Isa is not interested in this. He is not a shy child, he pushes the bosses forward so that they can enjoy them together.

Chelsea has now returned to Cobham for a compact preseason, and one of Isa's responsibilities is to help new signers adapt to the team, especially Jamie Gittens, Yorell Hato, Estewan and other new players.