Even as we speak a few weeks into the summer break, Rayan Kolli admits he finds it hard to switch off.
“My life kind of revolves around football,” the 20-year-old QPR winger tells Sky Sports. “I struggle to find something to do in the off-season apart from training. I’m not really a massive fan of it, to be honest.
“If I take a day or two off, I start panicking. I think, ‘I’m not doing anything.’ I have to get in the gym or go to a local pitch because I feel like I’m falling behind.”
A big first step in his first full campaign
‘Falling behind’ is not how anyone who witnessed Kolli’s first full season for QPR would describe it. Four goals and two assists in just nine starts and 20 total appearances is an impressive opening.
He is pleased with how it has gone, but is far from completely satisfied.
“This season was somewhat of a breakthrough, but for me, a real breakthrough is hitting 10 or 15 goals. That’s the level I want to get to.
“I think I’ve taken a step forward in terms of being more involved in first-team football. It felt like more of an introduction, even though I had a couple of appearances the previous season.”
Kolli’s drive is clear. He isn’t content with just being part of the squad. He wants to be a difference-maker.
“I’m never satisfied with being good or just doing my job,” he says. “I want to excel. I want to improve and beat any milestone I hit. I don’t want to limit myself.”
Scoring at the Loft: ‘It Was a Dream’
Kolli was born and raised in west London, and has been at QPR since the age of eight.
He grew up on the terraces at Loftus Road, and as we chat he reminisces about games he watched at the stadium growing up, and memories of seeing Charlie Austin scoring a Premier League hat-trick back in 2014.
Nearly 11 years later, Kolli netted a brace against Norwich in a 3-0 Championship win last December – his first goals for the club.
“That game was a dream,” he says. “As a kid in the academy, all I wanted was to get on that pitch.
“To score, and then score again, it was an amazing feeling. Luckily I scored in front of the Loft. That made it even more special. I didn’t know what to do. The cross came in and it felt like slow motion.”
First memories and an old-school influence
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QPR starlet Rayan Kolli tells Sky Sports that he always enjoyed watching clips of Roberto Baggio and other ‘old-school footballers’ growing up.
The journey for Kolli started a lot earlier than that Austin hat-trick. Football has been his obsession for as long as he can remember.
“My dad always tells me about the first time he saw me kick a ball,” he remembers. “I was three or four.
“He rolled a ball to me during an Algeria game and said the way I moved with it, he just had a feeling. The next day, he took me to training, and since then it’s only been football.
“No matter what we were doing, I’d have a football with me. That’s just who I’ve always been.”
As a 20-year-old, you would expect Kolli’s footballing idol to be a Messi, a Neymar or a Cristiano Ronaldo.
But his inspirations stretch back a little further.
“I’ve always preferred older players,” he says. “Football felt more raw back then. I think a lot of them would boss the game today.
“One player I’ve always liked is Roberto Baggio. My dad showed me clips of him. I loved how technical and smart he was.
“That’s how I’d like to play. He just had that style of play that was just like really nice to watch.
“And obviously I never watched him live, but I would always go back and watch his clips over and over again. And I think I used to watch more old-school players than current players now.”
Eyes on the future
Looking ahead, Kolli is focused on consistency, something he knows is crucial for his development.
Injuries hindered him last season, and he knows if he wants to go further he needs to be a in a position where he is playing 50-60 games a season.
“For me, it’s about being consistent,” he says. “Whether that’s technically, physically, or staying available, I know if I’m out there, I can make a difference.
“I believe in my ability 100 per cent. But being consistent is the hardest thing, and I want to get as close to that as possible.
“I’m only 20, but I don’t want to wait around. I want to take the next step now.”
If he can find that consistency and that next level, Kolli will certainly be one to watch next season in the Championship, and even further going forward.
