West Ham United's young central defender Ezra Mayers reached an important milestone in his career this summer when he was selected for the first team and joined the team in the pre-season training camp in Germany.

The 18-year-old Meyers has been playing in the youth training system for nearly ten years. From joining West Ham United at the age of 9 to gradually growing into a team leader, his stable performance and professional attitude have long won the recognition of the coaching staff.

Meyers recalled the moment he received the first-team call-up: "I was playing away against Manchester United with the U21s and missed the call from Rob (U21 manager). I called him back and he said I was going to join the first team. I only played 45 minutes that day before heading back to London. After the game, I could hardly concentrate on anything else."

"The next morning, because I didn't have a driver's license, my driver took me to the London Stadium to meet up with the team. My family also got tickets to watch the game. Although I knew I probably wouldn't play, the feeling of warming up in front of so many fans was unreal. It's something I definitely want to experience again."

During pre-season training in Germany, Meyers experienced the demands of the professional level firsthand. "The training facilities are amazing, and the food is great, but the intensity is the biggest difference," he said. "You're surrounded by experienced professionals, and the overall level is much higher. But I feel like I've adapted well."

For Meyers, whose mother is German, this trip was a return to her homeland: "I haven't been back for a while, and I'm happy to be able to taste familiar food and speak a few words of German again."

"Although I don't use it often, if a fan or waiter speaks German to me, I will respond in German and they will be stunned for a moment. One time a fan asked me to sign a jersey and he was surprised when I answered in German. It was quite funny."