Captain Jarrod Bowen is looking ahead at what’s to come for West Ham United after reaching 250 appearances for the Club.
The forward hit the milestone - becoming the 55th player to do so - when he started the 3-2 victory over Burnley last time out.
Since joining a West Ham side battling to stay in the Premier League from EFL Championship outfit Hull City in January 2020, the last half-decade has been full of personal and collective landmarks and moments for Bowen.
He is, of course, West Ham’s 2023 UEFA Europa Conference League final match-winning hero, the Irons’ second-highest Premier League scorer of all-time (59) and our Club captain.
Summer 2025 saw him marry into a big West Ham family with new wife Dani Dyer, and for Bowen, the term ‘adopted east Londoner’ fits the bill so seamlessly.
There is no denying just how much of a modern-day Claret and Blue hero our No20 is.
But as well as looking back on his stellar career with the Irons so far, our captain is focused on the future. He hopes to be part of an improving team under Head Coach Nuno Espírito Santo, and wants to achieve his dream of lifting silverware as Club captain as soon as possible.
After receiving a commemorative framed 250-appearance shirt from Nuno after the Clarets clash at London Stadium, Bowen sat down to reflect on his latest milestone with the Hammers…
Jarrod, what comes to mind when you hear 250 games for West Ham United?
“Probably just a special feeling. It's been nearly six years now since I signed, and you never know how it's going to go when you sign for a new club. You never know if you're going to step up to the occasion.
“Things sometimes don't always work out in football, but I think it's special because everything has worked out the way I wanted it to.
“Sometimes you come to a club and things don't work out, whether that’s different managers or the other different things that can happen in football, but I think for me all I've tried to do is just be the best version of myself every single day.”
Did you ever imagine that you'd reach 250 appearances?
“No, not really. I was just grateful to be given the opportunity to play in the Premier League six years ago.
“We’ve had European competitions, FA Cups and Premier League games as well, but never did I think I would get to 250 games. But I still feel in a good place in my career as well, and I still feel like I could hopefully do this again.”
You mentioned stepping up to the Premier League. Did you always believe in yourself that you could do that?
“I always believed in myself, yeah. I've always got that drive, that hunger. When there's a question asked, I feel like I answer the question.
“When I get the opportunity to play, it's just first and foremost making myself and my family proud and also the Club that I represent as well, making them proud. I try and do that every time that I play.”
What moments and matches stand out from the 250?
"I'd say my first start against Southampton, just because it was my first start, and I scored in the first half, so that helped with some nerves as well. That was a good game.
“Chelsea at home [in December 2021] is another. I'm sure it was an early kick-off, and we won 3-2 that game.
“I scored in that game. It felt like a really good game, and the atmosphere was incredible.
“[The UEFA Europa Conference League] in Prague doesn’t need a sentence about it, and I think people know what that night meant to every single person that was involved in it.
“I will also go to Tottenham away, where we won 2-1 [in December 2023].
“I scored, and so did James Ward-Prowse. I think we went 1-0 down and then went on to win the game 2-1.
“I would probably also go with Olympique Lyonnais at home. That game was the first European knockout game that I think I'd ever been involved in. I scored in that game, but I didn't play the Sevilla game because I broke my foot, and as much as I loved us getting through, it was hard to be on the sidelines.
“We went down to ten men early on [against Olympique Lyonnais] as well and managed to draw the game 1-1 and then won 3-0 away, and with the atmosphere that we had, I enjoyed that game as well.
“When you're watching, it's not the same. You don't feel the same as when you're playing. Obviously, it was a delight with the way that we won the game and stuff.”
Are there any other moments that sum up the last 250 appearances at West Ham?
“You definitely grow as a person.
“I'm 29 in December, so I've definitely grown as a person. Being named captain of the Club for the last year or so, that's probably a massive growth and is one of the biggest honours you can get playing for a club.
“I came in and never knew how the journey was going to go. I wanted to show people who I am as a person, as a player, first and foremost. I feel like I've got a really good connection with the fans.
“I think that's down to me, my drive and what I want to do for the Club. I think we've enjoyed some great moments together. I think the best thing for me is I just enjoy my football every time that I play.
“I don't need people telling me how good I am or reading the headlines or anything like that. I'm just happy with just coming in, playing, playing well and doing my bits, and I think as you get older, you appreciate that more, that feeling of just playing week in, week out.
“Now I've got the captain's armband. It's an incredible honour. I think off the pitch, I'd definitely say I've grown, matured and grown into a role where I'm at now.”
What does it mean to you to be the captain of this Club?
“It means everything. It's a position that I probably never thought I'd be in. I get on with people, I demand and I always want the best for this team.
“I always want the best for this Club, whatever the situation is. We've been through some tough times in the last few months. I think for me, the driving force of that is about showing the best side of you every single day that you can and every single time that you play a game.
“That's all that I try to do. That's the only way that I think I know. The only way I know is to demand the best of yourself, first and foremost, and then demand the best of the rest of your teammates as you go along.
“But like I said, the honour of being named captain and then stepping out for the first time is special.
“This Club has had some amazing captains and names that will have gone down as legends and big figures in the Club.
“I don't want to follow that because they're at a really high level. I think for me, what I want to do is just try and write my own name into the history books here.
“We've enjoyed a lot of really good times together, and there’s still a lot of time to achieve a lot more things as well.”
What makes West Ham special for you?
“I think just the connection that when the fans appreciate you and what you're about. For me, I feel like my game is perfect for the fans here.
“I've come from a non-league background, coming in and knowing how hard it is to make the step up to the Premier League. So I think for me, I'll always work hard. I'll always leave everything out there.
“I think the fans really appreciate that type of player. I try and be as humble as possible. I try and make time for the fans all the time, especially little kids.
“When I see them, I know that they've got a dream, and we're role models to them. So I think for me, it's just trying to connect with as many fans off the pitch as possible because I think that's so important when you're looked at by a lot of people as their role model. So for me, it's wanting to give them the best.
“If I see someone at the training ground for a couple of minutes, it makes their day to see you. So for me, I just try and represent this Club in the best way that I think it should be represented and the best way that I know it should be represented. So for me, that would be what makes it special, the connection that you can build.”
When you put on the West Ham shirt, what does it represent to you?
“I think it's just an honour. I think of the names that have played for this Club. I'm not from London at all. I've only ever seen West Ham growing up and the players that they've had - guys that have started here and gone on to other careers that they've had.
“It's a massive Club, an amazing Club to play for, an amazing Club to represent. We have 60,000 people turn up week in, week out, so there's a pressure on you straight away.
“The size of the Club is one thing, and the love for the Club from the fans is another thing.
“I just think this Club is so passionate about its Football Club, and to be part of that is infectious, and it makes you want to be part of that with them as well.
“I know that there'll be more [good times] to come in the future, and when you do have those good times, you see the place here. Everyone's bubbly, everyone's got that buzz about them, and it's a real family-orientated Club. I think for me, that's something that I'm really big on.”
And what do you still want to achieve?
“Speaking to the lads at the start of the season, I said I'd love to win an FA Cup here in my time, which people always say is a bit random.
"But I think when you have grown up watching the FA Cup and seeing teams win it, and I know we've won it here before.
“Crystal Palace won it last year, and you saw their fans and the way they reacted to it. Not many people probably thought Crystal Palace would win the FA Cup, so it's a credit to them that they went on and won it.
“Obviously in the Premier League, I want to be back playing in Europe. We've had some amazing trips here in the UEFA Europa League and Conference League, so obviously that's the long-term aim, where we want to be in the Premier League. I think this Club should be playing in Europe every single year.
“Obviously it's not as easy as just saying it, you have to do it as well, but I think one thing I'd love to do, especially being captain now, is lift a trophy, and it would be right up there with my proudest moments.”
