As the season comes to a close, our Principal Partners Betway caught up with our first-team players to find out their favourite team-mates, goals, stadiums and much more...
Who is your favourite West Ham team-mate you have played with?
Andy Irving: Jarrod Bowen. He’s brilliant.
Emerson Palmieri: Lucas Paqueta. He’s like a brother to me, so of course I’ll say him.
James Ward-Prowse: Jarrod Bowen. He’s Mr. West Ham, he’s scored some important goals and you always know he’s going to do something special.
Carlos Soler: For me, Guido Rodriguez. I have played against him with Valencia against Betis, I’ve known him from a long time ago and he’s a very good player.
Tomáš Souček: Vladimir Coufal, Andriy Yarmolenko, Łukasz Fabiański, Aaron Cresswell and Michail Antonio. There’s a few because I’ve been here for quite long and these guys are who I am with the most in the changing room.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka: Crysencio Summerville. We joined at the same time, we’ve connected well and he’s my neighbour as well.
Łukasz Fabiański: Mark Noble. It’s not like we have a massive friendship, but I just think he’s such a club legend and it was a privilege to share the pitch and dressing room with him.
Who is the toughest opponent you have played against?
Edson Álvarez: Neymar at the World Cup…because he’s Neymar!
Emerson: I’ve played against a lot of players, but I can say Mo Salah.
Andy Irving: I’m going to say Cole Palmer, just because I love him as a player and he’s really, really top.
Maximilian Kilman: Erling Haaland. He’s a top player, he’s got all the attributes.
James Ward-Prowse: Paul Scholes, in my first season in the Premier League. He came on and changed the game, and taught me a lesson or two in how to play in midfield.
Carlos Soler: Leo Messi. I played against him in matches and in training, too. For me, he’s the best.
Aaron Cresswell: Eden Hazard. He was too sharp, too fast, had all the ability in the world and was too hard to stop.
Tomáš Souček: Lionel Messi. I played twice against him and it’s very tough to stop him. If you double or triple him up he can pass and assist as well. For me he’s the best in the world, maybe ever.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka: Eden Hazard. He’s unpredictable, can go left and right.
Łukasz Fabiański: It’s a hard one because I played against so many amazing players and legends of the game. I always found it difficult against Drogba. He was a powerful striker with a big presence on the pitch.
Dinos Mavropanos: Romelu Lukaku. I made my Premier League debut against him.
What is the best goal you have ever seen live?
Edson Álvarez: Kudus against Freiburg in the Europa League.
Maximilian Kilman: One of Rúben Neves’ at Wolves. He scored so many good ones!
James Ward-Prowse: One of them would be Cameron Jerome for Stoke against Southampton a few years ago. A long ball up came to him on the volley and I’ve never seen a ball travel so quickly into the top corner.
Aaron Cresswell: Andy Carroll against Crystal Palace. I played a ball to Michail Antonio, who crossed it to the back post and Andy did this ridiculous overhead kick right into the top corner.
Tomáš Souček: Patrik Schick against Scotland at Euro 2021. He scored from the half-way line and it was a very important goal.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka: Andros Townsend’s volley against Manchester City.
Łukasz Fabiański: I liked Mo Kudus’ overhead kick last season, but another one that was beautiful was Manuel Lanzini against Spurs, away, last kick of the match. Unbelievable shot from 30 yards, ended up in the top bins. That was a special moment.
Dinos Mavropanos: One from Kudus – either the one against Man City or the scissor-kick goal against Brentford.
Who is the best player in the world at your position?
Edson Álvarez: I would say Rodri.
Andy Irving: I’d still say Luka Modrić. I grew up watching him.
Maximilian Kilman: Virgil van Dijk. He’s all-rounded and he’s been doing so well in the Premier League for a number of years now.
James Ward-Prowse: I loved Toni Kroos up until his retirement. At the moment, it would be hard to look past Jude Bellingham in terms of what he creates and his output.
Carlos Soler: For me, Rodri, the last winner of the Ballon d’Or. I have played with him in Spain and I love the way he plays.
Aaron Cresswell: Emerson. He’s won everything – Champions League, Europa Conference League, the Euros with Italy. Tell me a better left-back.
Tomáš Souček: Rodri. He’s always in the right position and I’m very happy for him winning the Ballon d’Or. He showed that even in this position you can dictate a team.
Łukasz Fabiański: It’s a hard one. I’m going to go with Alisson, I believe he’s probably the best at the moment. And I still believe that even though he missed a year of football, that David de Gea is still up there when it comes to being a proper goalkeeper.
Dinos Mavropanos: Van Dijk. For a couple of years now he’s been at the top level, performing consistently as one of the best players in the world.
Which legendary former West Ham player would you love to play alongside?
Edson Álvarez: Mark Noble.
Emerson: Mark Noble, because he was a true legend here. I played against him but never with him.
Andy Irving: Mark Noble.
Maximilian Kilman: Mark Noble. He obviously had an amazing career at West Ham.
James Ward-Prowse: He was at the training ground recently – Paolo Di Canio. He is a really interesting character and I think he’d be good all around the place. Obviously his quality speaks for itself.
Carlos Soler: Mark Noble. He’s a legend for West Ham, he’s working here and it would be nice to have played with him.
Aaron Cresswell: Paolo Di Canio. He’s obviously a great player and a bit of a maverick. I think he’d be great to have around the dressing room and to play alongside him would be good as well.
Tomśš Souček: Bobby Moore. If I could play with him I think I’d be very close to him. It’s a long time ago but he’s a West Ham legend.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka: Mark Noble. The influence and impact he’s had on this club has been great.
Łukasz Fabiański: The biggest legend there is, Bobby Moore. Just to have his presence in front of me would be special and unique.
Dinos Mavropanos: Obviously Noble. He’s been a big legend at the club and he has made history here.
Who is the best ever player from your country?
Edson Álvarez: Rafael Marquez.
Emerson: Ronaldo. Ah, no, Pelé. It’s hard because Pelé was the biggest one, but I watched Ronaldo Fenômeno a lot of times, so for me I’d say Ronaldo.
Andy Irving: Kenny Dalglish.
Maximilian Kilman: Wayne Rooney. I think he had an unbelievable career and he’s the best English player ever.
James Ward-Prowse: What a question. Everyone’s going to be expecting me to say David Beckham, aren’t they? From watching football and in my era, I’d say Wayne Rooney. He was the one who had everything.
Carlos Soler: David Villa. He’s the all-time top scorer for Spain. For me, he was an inspiration when I was young because I was a striker and I loved the way he played.
Aaron Cresswell: Wayne Rooney. He ticks all the boxes and I don’t think he gets the credit he deserves. He’s a fantastic player.
Tomá š Souček: It’s Pavel Nedvěd. He won the Ballon d’Or so he’s the best and he had an unbelievable career.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka: Claude Makélélé. His career says it all, really, and he was proud to represent DR Congo.
Łukasz Fabiański: It’s quite easy – Robert Lewandowski. He’s still proving at his age that he’s a massive talent, but also his dedication to the craft.
Dinos Mavropanos: We had many great players, but one of the legends of the country is Giorgos Karagounis. He had a great career.
What’s your favourite opposition stadium that you have played in?
Edson Álvarez: That’s a good one. Anfield and Dortmund.
Emerson: I like playing at Old Trafford. It’s a nice stadium, and every time I play there I feel good, and I’ve always played well, so it’s nice to play there.
Andy Irving: Celtic Park in Scotland was good, and Rapid Vienna in Austria was a quality atmosphere as well.
Maximilian Kilman: Anfield. Always a tough place to go and a great atmosphere there.
James Ward-Prowse: Probably Spurs. It’s a fantastic stadium and I’ve got a few nice memories of goals scored there.
Carlos Soler: Santiago Bernabéu, because I have good memories from my first appearance there, when I scored. The atmosphere and the stadium are the best opposition stadium, but my favourite stadium is the Mestalla in Valencia!
Aaron Cresswell: Anfield. I’m from the city and the atmosphere is always amazing when you play there.
Tomáš Souček: Goodison Park. I remember scoring at least two winning goals in the last minute there, so I have good memories at that stadium. We played very well there and got a few points.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka: Nou Camp. It’s a different experience there – the atmosphere is crazy.
Łukasz Fabiański: I like playing against Aston Villa. I’ve never actually lost to them in the Premier League, so I enjoy playing at Villa Park.
Dinos Mavropanos: Wembley. I played there against England and hope we can play a cup game there with West Ham.
If you could lift any trophy, which one would you choose?
Edson Álvarez: The World Cup with the national team.
Emerson: World Cup, for sure, because it’s the only one I’m missing! I have won a lot, but not the World Cup.
Andy Irving: Champions League.
Maximilian Kilman: It’s got to be the World Cup. It’s definitely the hardest and it’s only once ever four years.
James Ward-Prowse: It would have to be the World Cup. Club football is so important but you can see the excitement that international football brings.
Carlos Soler: The World Cup and the Champions League! If I win these two trophies I will have done it all in football.
Aaron Cresswell: The World Cup. It’s the pinnacle of football to represent your country and be the best in the world.
Tomáš Souček: For me it’s the World Cup, because it’s every four years, and football life stops for everyone to watch the tournament.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka: The Champions League. I think it’s the most competitive tournament.
Łukasz Fabiański: Premier League. That would be an unbelievable achievement.
Dinos Mavropanos: With West Ham, the Premier League, and with Greece we had the Euros, so this time we will choose the World Cup.
