I won Sky Sports competition and ended up playing for Chelsea – I’ll never forget my first day sat in the canteen

CARL MAGNAY lived a young footballer's imagination erstwhile helium won a contention to motion for Chelsea.

Out of thousands of applicants betwixt the ages of 16 and 18, helium claimed a six-month declaration astatine Stamford Bridge aft starring connected Sky Sports' Football Icon 2 show.

He jumped from playing for Birtley Town U17s arsenic a regular sixth signifier student, to rubbing shoulders with Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and John Terry connected a regular basis.

During the last stages of Football Icon 2, helium was invited to bid alongside Jose Mourinho's first-team squad.

And the centre-back, 35, admits it was an unthinkable acquisition to spot Chelsea's superstars astatine work.

Speaking to Football London, helium said: "It was surreal. You've got nary enactment but to instrumentality it successful your stride. Like I said, looking backmost present I didn't cognize it astatine the time, I had a beardown mentality and I was rather level headed.

"Chelsea's first-team players were truly respectful. They were conscionable going astir their regular jobs and their routines. I retrieve sitting successful the canteen and I'm sharing an country wherever we're each eating.

"It took maine astir an hr to devour my nutrient due to the fact that I was conscionable looking circular the country staring astatine people.

"Lampard going up to get nutrient and get a sheet of 2nd and I'm looking astatine his carnal stature reasoning 'look astatine the size of his quads' and I was conscionable successful awe of everything that was going connected astir me.

"It was truly surreal but I knew I was determination and had to beryllium myself and erstwhile you got connected the transportation you had to propulsion each that to 1 broadside and conscionable absorption connected the session.

CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS

"I deliberation I did that truly good to beryllium fair."

Magnay ended up spending 4 years astatine Chelsea and played nether a fig of high-profile managers including Mourinho, Luiz Felipe Scolari and Carlo Ancelotti.

However, helium failed to unafraid a azygous first-team quality and near successful 2011 to articulation non-league broadside Gateshead.

He went connected to diagnostic for Grimsby, Hartlepool, Spennymoor Town, earlier helium returned to Gateshead successful 2022.

The defender, who earned 1 headdress for Northern Ireland's U21s, retired past twelvemonth and is present Gateshead manager.