Tottenham, Bayern and a stand made of chairs – Palhinha’s story

The Football Interview is a new series in which the biggest names in sport and entertainment join host Kelly Somers for bold and in-depth conversations about the nation’s favourite sport.

We’ll explore mindset and motivation, and talk about defining moments, career highs and personal reflections. The Football Interview brings you the person behind the player.

Interviews will drop on Saturdays across BBC iPlayer, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website. This week it will be shown on BBC One at 23:40 GMT (and after Sportscene in Scotland).

Joao Palhinha returned to the Premier League last summer when he joined Tottenham on a season-long loan from Bayern Munich.

The 30-year-old midfielder had moved to the German side from Fulham in 2024, but was limited to just 17 Bundesliga appearances last season.

While Spurs have endured a difficult campaign to date – sitting 14th in the Premier League – Palhinha has already made 30 appearances.

The Portugal international has his eye on this summer’s World Cup, having enjoyed success in the Nations League in 2025.

He sat down with Kelly Somers to talk about his childhood and family, biggest coaching influences and his ambitions for the rest of his playing career.

Kelly Somers: Let’s start with football and when it all first started with you. What’s your first memory of playing football?

Joao Palhinha: That was in my family house in Portugal, where I have the best memories with the family, especially with my parents and my grandparents. It was probably the first place that I started to take the first steps in football. I remember that my grandfather made the goals with a fishing net.

Kelly: Who was playing football with you back then and what was it like?

Joao: It was my brother and my cousin. Usually it’s me against them two . A competitive battle that I always won because they are younger than me. And I remember that we put all the chairs at home like a stand so the family could watch. During the day we were training against each other and after dinner we put the chairs out waiting for our family to come watch like it was a proper game!

Kelly: Can you remember your first team?

Joao: I started to play futsal in a school. That was my first steps, and after I went to Alta de Lisboa, which is a really small club in Lisbon. After, I went to Sacavenense and then moved to Sporting. I remember Abel Ferreira – now the coach at Palmeiras – called me when I played against Sporting Under-17s. He came straight to me after the game. I had a great game. We lost 2-1. When he came to me, he asked me if I wanted to join his Sporting team. I was in doubt first of all, because I was happy. But I was in doubt because I didn’t know if it would happen or not. In football, you never know. I don’t create many expectations, but the truth is, I was so, so happy he had said this to me. I signed my first contract, a professional contract at 17 years old, and became a professional at Sporting.

Kelly: Along that journey has there been a turning point, that if it hadn’t happened maybe you wouldn’t have gone on to achieve what you have?

Joao: If it didn’t happen, I was probably doing a different thing. In football, I always think you need to have a second plan but I always wanted to be a professional player since I joined Sporting. I truly believed in my capacity. We have a lot of challenges in our career and it was not easy when I was younger. You need a bit of luck alongside commitment.

Kelly: Which coach would you say has had the biggest impact on your career?

Joao: That’s a hard question. Probably the coach that I felt I grew up more with probably was Marco [Silva]. The two seasons I had at Fulham, the way he helped me to improve, the talks we had. I could also say Ruben [Amorim] – I worked with him in Braga and Sporting.

Kelly: What makes Marco Silva so special?

Joao: I knew him before because he was there in my first season at Sporting. Of course, we speak the same language… it helps sometimes but he was the coach that I felt that I improved a lot under and helped me to take a step higher with my football. He helped me to achieve the level of Bayern. What I did at Fulham was really special for me.

Kelly: Did you always want to come back to the Premier League after leaving Bayern?

Joao: When I moved to Bayern, I didn’t expect to to return as quick, to be honest. But when the opportunity of Tottenham came, I didn’t think too much, you know, because this league… it’s really special for me. I feel that my characteristics really fit this league. I don’t think you can compare the Premier League with any other league. You always miss the Premier League when you go. It has something really special. Everyone in the world watches the Premier League and the teams are probably the most competitive in the world.

Kelly: Did the project and the new management at Spurs excite you as well in the summer?

Joao: Definitely. I always followed Tottenham as well. The call from the coach helped a lot for me to join the club, to show me his interest. When it’s a coach from a top club, he’s calling for you and trying to push you as much as he did, I think you should do it. It was an easy choice for me at that moment. The truth is I didn’t want to leave Bayern because I was just one season there, and I wanted to prove my value and what I’m capable of. But at the same time, I think I needed to play. I needed to shine again.

Kelly: How do you assess how it’s going at the moment?

Joao: Our season is definitely not the easiest season or one we wished for. Not just the players, but also the supporters and the staff. We are only halfway through the season and there are many things to happen until the end. It is not the excuse, but I think the injuries had a big impact on the team. This is something definitely and clear for me. I think the results have been poor but at the same time, I think the team have been improving. We will get some [good results] definitely.

Kelly: If you could relive one match from your career, what would it be?

Joao: When I won the league with Sporting it was during Covid times and we didn’t have the supporters in the stands. The game that gave us the title was when we beat Boavista. Everyone inside the dressing room felt that moment meant our names could be written in the history of the club and that probably was the most special game. I had also other ones, you know, like when I made my debut in the Premier League against Liverpool, which was a draw against them at Craven Cottage… that was really special as well. My game here against Manchester City when I scored my first goal for Tottenham that was really special too. I have a few!

Kelly: What’s been the toughest moment of your career?

Joao: Probably the time that I had at Bayern, I would say. I expected to play more when I went there but after the injury it was not easy for me to get the right chances.

Kelly: Moving away from football, tell me what it was like growing up in your house…

Joao: I’m a family person. I’m a proud father, proud son. I think in our lives, what we need is to give the right value to the family, because I couldn’t reach anything in my life without them. I have two boys – I’m a really proud dad and it’s the best feeling that you can have.

Kelly: What was a young Joao like? How would your parents maybe describe you?

Joao: At school I was not probably the best student but I always had the effort, you know, the commitment to learn. I think this is not just on the pitch, but also off the pitch. I always have been a respectful person with the right principles of family, and values as well.

Kelly: How do you escape from football in your time off?

Joao: Depends if my family is here or not but usually I like to spend my day off… if I don’t go to Portugal or they are here, I like to go to the city or a garden with them when the weather is good, which is something not particularly easy here! But yeah, enjoy it with family.

Kelly: Do you have any hobbies?

Joao: I like to play tennis but I don’t do it much because I can’t [because of the risk of getting injured]. We have a lot of golfers in the team but I like more active sports… movement. Golf is too lazy for me! I think for the mind it is good, but for the body, for me, I think is not the right sport.

Kelly: Is there something people get wrong about you?

Joao: I’m not as aggressive outside football as I am on the pitch. I am chilled and really calm. People that don’t know me think I’m an aggressive guy. But when they meet me outside of the pitch, I think they change their minds.

Kelly: Of all the things you’ve achieved in your career in terms of football, what are you proudest of?

Joao: I would say making a dream come true. My family – especially my dad – love football so much and it was a dream come true for him that I became a professional footballer. So he’s proud in his eyes when I’m playing and when I achieve the good things. Football is also one of the things that make me so, so happy. Being that child playing in the family house and to reach everything that I did in my career until today is the main thing that I’m proud of.

Kelly: If you could only achieve one more thing in your career, what would it be?

Joao: Winning a World Cup with Portugal. I think we have the potential to reach that objective. It’s a small country but we have a lot of talent inside of our country not just in football. Making this history with our football is something I really wish for.