Jack Butland On World Cup Teammates, Box Sets & His Packing Essentials For Russia

Jack, how do you pack for six weeks away? 

"You’ve got to get the essentials in there first. All your fresh Calvins; your toiletries; some entertainment for your downtime; so I’d probably chuck the PS4 in there too. Gloves and boots and everything like that is going to go with the kit man so I’ll just try and make my room out there as homely and comforting as possible. I might take a pillow from home, anything like that. Just the little things that you can keep yourself occupied with and make you feel comfortable when you get out there. It’s not an easy task to pack for that long."

There’s a lot of downtime on international duty. How do you like to spend it?

"I know we’ve always got a great games room whenever we go to tournaments so there’ll be a pool table and table tennis table. That’s always a good place to get the camaraderie off the pitch with the boys going and have a laugh. Boxsets and films are going to be a huge aspect when you want to chill after dinner in the evenings and get some downtime. Netflix I’m sure is going to get rinsed while we’re out there."

What are you watching at the moment?

"I’ve got a few to start. I’ve just finished Narcos, which I really enjoyed, so I’m going to have to start something else for when I get out there."

What kind of character are you when it comes to free-time? Do you get itchy-feet or are you happy to chill? 

"It depends on the way I’m feeling. Sometimes you finish training and you’re tired and you just want your own space so you go for a lie-down or something or go chill in your room. Then there are other times when a couple of hours in your room can feel like a hell of a long time and you just want to get out and do something, so it depends on the way I’m feeling. When you’re away at tournaments, the best way to make the time pass is by doing stuff with the lads and getting in the games room, or playing cards together, or something like that."

Who’s the best at table tennis?

"Raheem’s very good. He doesn’t need the reach if he hits it past you. Raheem's a good player."

How does the prospect of going to a World Cup feel when you think back to those childhood dreams of yours?

"Unfortunately, I’ve never been involved in a World Cup before. I missed out on the Rio World Cup, which obviously was something I was hoping to be a part of but injuries kind of got in the way. I’ve never been a part of a tournament as a player so for me it’s even more exciting. I’ve been to Youth World Cups. I’ve watched World Cups in the past so, whether you’re an England player or a fan, and I am a fan as well, World Cup year is the most exciting in football and it’s not difficult to get excited for. It's something I’ve been really motivated to try and be a part of and now I’m here so I’m trying to take it all in and make it as positive as an experience as I can."

What was it like for you watching England as a kid? Did you have all the kit? Did you watch all the games?

"Yeah, I watched as much as I could. When I was younger it wasn’t about being a goalkeeper for me so I had all the outfield kits. I remember one of my favourite World Cups was in 2002 in South Korea and Japan. That world cup really stuck out. I’ve always been a part of it whether as a player or a fan. It’s the best."

What and how many pairs of boots will you take to Russia?

"I’ll take a few. These new Just Do It pack boots, being white and being the keeper, will get muddy pretty quick so I’ll have a couple of match boots on rotation which I’ll probably save for game days and I’ll have a couple of others which I’ll use to train with so the match ones are as fresh and clean as possible. I’ll have four boots on rotation I’d expect."

Have you added any custom elements to them? 

"No, they fit perfectly as they are. As size and fit goes they’re bang-on. I’ve got my initials on either side and obviously got the England flag embossed in the heel, which is a very personal touch which I think most of the boys have gone for. It’s a cool touch from Nike."

You’ve already been training in the JDI Pack ahead of the tournament. How do they feel and how do you like to break in a fresh pair of boots?

"I can rock the Nike Just Do It pack straight away. We’ve got something called a hydrocollator which is kind of like a spa for boots. It’s a bit like a steam room. It’s like a little microwave with water in the bottom. It steams up and you close the lid and you can fit a bunch of boots in there. It’s like the posh way of putting your boots in the bath. In the old days, you’d put them in the bath or hot water to stretch them. This is like the professional version of that if you like. So you put them in there, they soften up, and then they're good to go. You don’t get any sore toes and blisters. It’s genius."

How about gloves? How many pairs will you take?

"More pairs. There’ll be more gloves than boots, that’s for sure. Again, I like to wear a new pair of Nike Mercurial Touch Elite’s for every game which I would’ve usually worn for just one training session before to wear them in a little bit. But we’ll probably end up getting through two pairs a week I’d imagine. One for the game and then that’ll see me through a few days and then I’ll break out another pair for the next game. I’ll make sure I’ve got plenty out there so probably upwards of ten or twelve pairs I expect."

Do you think you’d one day like to design your own pair of boots?

"I’d love to. As a keeper, you put your body through a lot. You kick the ball largely a long distance so something that’s strong enough and aiding in accuracy of distribution; something that’s light and able to get around the goal quickly but able to have protection from everything you put it through - one on ones, you’re getting kicked at corners, and that sort of thing. Nike does a really good job of experimenting with stuff so it’d be nice to do that one-day or maybe design some custom gloves."

Nike was the first to make waves in the way gloves were designed. What’s it like to go through that process with them?

"Yeah, it’s been really good and it’s quite humbling as well when they ask for your opinion. It’s really nice. They always ask the players for their feedback and when it comes to gloves they’ve always done that with me. I’ve been able to have a large input on the gloves that I specifically wear and how they could make them as good as they can be for me so that’s been really nice to be a part of. I think as keepers we’ve all got our opinions on what a good goalkeeping glove is and Nike has been brilliant in individualising things and creating a glove that’s all around really good. They’re always looking for new ideas and pushing the boundaries and it’s really nice to be a part of that."

Will you be doing anything to mark getting to the World Cup? If you win it, would you get a tattoo or do something a bit reckless out there?

"Winning is obviously the ultimate goal so I couldn’t even put in to words or imagine what the response would be so I’ll have to see and let that unfold if we get that far. I think I’ll have a bit of a send-off with my family before we go, have a barbeque at home just to see everyone before we disappear for a couple of months."

Have you had quite a few messages from friends and family or people who’ve brought you up through your career sending their congratulations or good luck?

"Yeah, at the minute, it’s all been like congratulations. We’ve just had the squad announcement phase so around that bit it’s all like ‘congratulations on being in the squad’ and, when we get nearer to Russia, it’ll start turning into more good lucks. As the excitement builds, I'm sure the messages will come through. I’ve been lucky enough to have friends and family that have been awesome regarding that and have always been there and will actually be coming up to Russia as well so that’ll be great."

What about off the pitch attire? How many pairs of Nike trainers will you bring? What’s the attire like outside the tracksuit?

"I’m a big trainer fan. I absolutely love all the trainers that Nike produces like the VaporMax and the Flyknit Racers. The Nike Air Max 270s, at the minute, are my favourites. I’m sure I’ll pack a few pairs of them. It’d be nice to get a few World Cup colourways from Nike if they fancy doing that. With Nike, there’s a kind of trainer for every outfit. I’ll delve into other lines of shoes outside the sportswear side but Nike have certainly got a really good range of shoes and I’ll try and get a hold of as many pairs as I can."

Shop the Nike Just Do It Pack here.

Photography by Martyn Ewoma for SoccerBible.