Ampadu made his professional debut aged 15 years, 10 months and 26 days old, against Brentford in the EFL Cup for League Two side Exeter City in 2016.
His big transfer to Chelsea came just 12 months later. A series of four loans to RB Leipzig, Sheffield United, Venezia and Spezia each arrived with their own challenges: whether it be culture, language, tactical differences or situation.
With his status in Wales’ national team, Ampadu became the fastest player to 50 caps last year, with former manager Rob Page saying he is a “future captain” for his country.
“I feel like I’ve found a home, and hopefully I can show that in performances and in the way that I am as a person. I feel like those things that I’ve experienced and lived through, I’ve had to mature quite early,” he told BBC Sport.
“I’ve lived in a few different places, experienced different cultures and see how people conduct themselves in those professional environments.
“Being trusted at 15 to play and perform to get results, I guess that’s one way I’ve had to mature. But also just being around people who are older than me for a large part of my development plays a part in it as well.
“I feel like I can come across as mature because of how I’ve been raised, but I’m sure if you were to ask a few of the boys around the training ground, they’ll probably still say I’m 24.”
Former Wales captains Gareth Bale and Ashley Williams are cited as major influences, as are Chelsea legend Cesar Azpilicueta and former Leeds centre-back Liam Cooper, who was his captain last season.
But his father Kwame Ampadu, a former footballer who coached him at Exeter, is “the first person I look up to”, but “also someone I butt heads with as a player talking to a coach”.
That influence his father passed onto him inspires his next steps, away from football, as Ampadu became a father himself in 2022.
