The Palace Academy graduate grew up in various places near Brent, playing for local team AFC Wembley. Today, he may step out at Wembley as a Premier League footballer, emulating his England debut but for the club that produced him.
Despite his upbringing in north-west London, Mitchell today says “south London is my new home, so I’m definitely south London and proud.”
Speaking with ITV before Crystal Palace’s FA Cup semi-final with Chelsea, Mitchell took the chance to reflect on his early years, and how they shaped the international left-back today.
“It’s always been something that over the houses I could see: the arch,” he says. “Playing there for England, and playing there on Sunday, is surreal for me, especially seeing everything, seeing it being built, hearing the noise. It’s just surreal.”
Mitchell’s first team was AFC Wembley, where he played from the age of 10 as something of a utility man. Growing up Mitchell’s father was “90% not really there”, and today he cites Wembley as a positive influence on his life.
“It just gave you 10 different adult male role models. That’s what I feel AFC Wembley gave the players who played there. If something is going bad at home or a situation happens outside, it was a place where you can come in and be happy and speak to them if needed.
“I feel like it was a place where it allowed you to express your emotions when sometimes outside of football and in different life situations you have to be tough skinned.
“Especially growing up, if you’re taught to be tough, you act tough, but really and truly everyone has emotions. I feel like AFC Wembley was a place where they knew everyone’s backgrounds, they knew everyone’s situations, some worse than others. And they could teach you to be emotional and allow you to express yourself as a child. That was the main thing that helped me.
“I feel like I was very independent, especially because I was a bit shy. I don’t feel like I needed a lot. I just needed to feel comfortable. That was the main thing for me. At AFC Wembley that was the feeling I got, and that’s what helped me eventually open up and be myself more.”
Another hugely influential figure in Mitchell’s life is his mother, and he touchingly paid tribute to her on the eve of the club’s biggest game in years.
In answer to the question ‘Who is the most important person in your life?’, Mitchell said:
“Definitely my mum. She’s someone I do it for, to make her proud is the main goal and after that is a bonus.
“My mum is someone like the life of the party. She’s very loud, very happy, and she’s just someone that brings life to most rooms that she’s in. She’s someone that helped me throughout my whole life, that spurred me to become what I become today. She’s just a strong woman.
“She’s always someone that gave me words of encouragement, regardless of if I had a bad or good game. She’s always someone to speak to me in a way that makes me feel better. She’s someone that mentally makes me feel better in football.”
