Arsenal youngster Reiss Nelson has opened up on his upbringing in the notoriously rough Aylesbury Estate in South London.
Writing for the Players Tribune, the 20-year-old spoke about how playing in the "cages" helped him become the talented player he is today.
"When I was little, I was there in the cages every day after school. It was the place. And it was the place because we, the kids from Aylesbury Estate, could go and be ourselves and not be judged by others.
"And down in the cages, you didn't even have any friends, really. That was the battlefield.
"Aylesbury Estate was a tough, tough place. But it helped raised me. It influences my game and my life even now.
"I'm not the only one, either. Jadon Sancho is from right nearby. That boy knows his way around the cages, I can tell you that much. Same thing with Tammy Abraham. He can play, that boy.
"That's why they've got all that skill on the ball that little area, it creates more talent than you could ever imagine. And there's more coming, too.
"So when people ask me about the estates in South London, I tell them about the cages. And I tell them that South London is where warriors come from. A little empire of warriors."
