Mason Mount says he will realise a childhood dream if he makes his Champions League bow against Valencia on Tuesday night, an ambition sparked the moment he was sent to bed straight after Chelsea’s victory in 2012.
As Frank Lampard and his Chelsea team-mates lifted the trophy for a first time in Munich, a then 13-year-old Mount began plotting his route to Europe’s biggest stage.
Should he get the nod at Stamford Bridge, another milestone in his young career will have been passed.
“I remember every part of the final,’ Mount said. “Didier Drogba scoring the header and then the winning penalty - brilliant night.
"Watching that as a kid it gives you the extra fire and goal to want to play in the Champions League because you’ve seen what the club has done before.
In Pictures | Chelsea train ahead of Valencia clash | 16/09/19
"As soon as the game had finished, straight to bed. I just remember all the family watching it and how excited we were. What a game, and you knew how much it meant.”
When he was on loan in the Championship with Derby last season, walking out to the Champions League anthem at Stamford Bridge seemed well out of reach - but even then it remained a target for Mount.
“You have always got to set goals and I think that was definitely one,” he said. “To start, the aim always was to come back to Chelsea and work hard to get into the team.
"I knew the Champions League games were coming up, so you have always got to set goals and you have got to work very hard to try and achieve that. It has been going well and hopefully I can start tonight.
“It is a dream to play in the Champions League and it is a massive game. You always want to get that first game under your belt, get those first points.”
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Whether it is Tuesday night or not, the fact Mount will make his Champions League bow under the management of one of his heroes from seven years ago only adds to the fairytale, and Lampard’s experience at this level is filling the entire squad with confidence.
Mount said: “He hasn’t said anything, maybe he doesn’t want to put too much pressure on us.
"Everyone knows what he has done for Chelsea and to play under him, he definitely wants everyone to work hard and play attacking football. You just want to go that extra mile and work harder for him.”
With three Premier League goals and two England caps already this season, Mount is surpassing all expectations as one dream after another is realised.
Stepping out in the Champions League seems only the next natural move for Mount, as well as fellow academy graduates Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori.
It is validation of Lampard’s approach in his early days at Chelsea. Their manager is part of Chelsea folklore thanks, in part, to that night in 2012 and on Tuesday Mount takes a significant step on his path in trying to emulate him.
