Stuart Pearce, a name synonymous with English football, is much more than just a legendary defender and former England captain. His journey from the terraces of Wembley as an apprentice electrician to captaining his nation is a story of resilience, leadership, and passion for the beautiful game. Currently sharing his wealth of experience with young footballers at Campioni Soccer Academy in Dubrovnik, Pearce has once again found himself captivated by Croatia’s charm.

In this exclusive interview, the man known as "Psycho" for his no-nonsense approach on the pitch opens up about his impressions of Dubrovnik, his coaching philosophy, and his illustrious footballing career. From his iconic penalty at Euro ’96 to his admiration for Croatian football talents, Pearce reflects on the moments that shaped him and the lessons he now passes on to the next generation of players.

Here’s what Stuart Pearce had to share with us during his visit to Sun Gardens Dubrovnik.

Is this your first time in Dubrovnik? And what are your first impressions of the city?

We’ve have actually been to this region three or four times, the last time we came we stayed on the island of Lopud. My wife and I really love travelling, at the drop of a hat we’ll happily go anywhere in the world. We’d always heard lots of great things about Croatia. Obviously, I visited this region when it was Yugoslavia for footballing reasons in the past. This time of course I am here for football again. Through a connection at West Ham, Xavi Valero the goalkeeping coach, I started my connection with Campioni Soccer Academy. In fact, this is the third time I have been here training the children at Sun Gardens Dubrovnik. We absolutely love Croatia. We always enjoying exploring the Old City of Dubrovnik. The last we were here we got the boat from the resort down into the Dubrovnik harbour, really memorable times. I have got Game of Thrones on box set but I still haven’t watched an episode.

Can you tell me something about what you have been training with the children this week?

Whenever we turn up we never know what numbers we’ll have to train, so you’ve got to think on your feet a little. Francis Benali and myself have been running the training and we’ve got differing age groups of children as well. The age range has been from 5 to 15, so we split them into two groups and make it age appropriate. We always try to give the children a football education, in fact it is very similar to what Premier League players are doing. Of course we are catering for youngsters, and that’s the art of coaching, but they are learning skills that will greatly help them with their future development.

It wasn’t so long ago that you were actually coaching in the Premier League at West Ham so the children in the group are really getting top-level training

It is a challenge for me as well. When you are coaching experienced players you know that they have a certain set of skills already ingrained. They can get the ball out of their feet and deliver a 40-yard pass without any problems, so you are coaching at the to-end only 5 percent, basically giving them pointers. But with youngsters you have to break it right down, from the technique to the side of the foot that should be used. This week we had two twin girls who initially said that they would only be training for the first two days. However, on the third day they cancelled a boat trip with their parents to continue training. Their parents told me that they love it so much that they just what to train. That is a massive win for us as coaches.

As someone with extensive experience in professional football, how do you approach coaching young players, and what specific skills or values do you emphasize during your sessions?

Whoever you are in front of you’ve got to get in tune with them as a coach. You’ve got to give them a really rounded education if you possibly can over the time that we are together. You’ve got to make sure, if you can, that there is a steady improvement. You’ve also got to challenge them. I think that any player at any age has got to be challenged. Not in an aggressive way but in a way that is challenging their skills. The first thing I say to them when we meet is don’t be afraid to make mistakes. When I was five or six, right the way through to I was fifteen or sixteen, I was embarrassingly shy. I found it difficult to connect. So I had to put myself in their shoes when I saw how shy so of them were when we first met. I said to them all, please ask questions. When I was young I thought only the daft children asked questions, that’s not the case the clever ones do. And it took me a while to work that out. So I try to put them at ease, and let them know that it’s alright to try things and fail, that’s not a problem, that’s a strength. I can recount my penalty miss for England and then my penalty goal as an example.

In your opinion, what are the most important qualities a young footballer should develop, both on and off the pitch, to succeed in the sport?

For me the biggest one is to have a team ethic, to always put the team first. Life isn’t an individual sport. I do a lot of leadership speaking and my first point is always we are all different in this room, we are all different people, but you can’t survive on your own and don’t try to. There are people that want to help, you’ve just got to ask for that help. So at the start of training I empathize that we are all one team now, and we look after each other.

Was that penalty against Spain in Euro 1996 the greatest moment in your football career?

No. Captaining my country was the greatest moment in my career. In a sport that I revere for being a team game to have the opportunity to lead my country out onto the pitch was a huge honour. I was captain on ten occasions, the first time on home soil was against France and that was Alan Shearer’s first game and we beat France two – nil at Wembley.

How did you feel walking up to take that famous penalty against Spain?

Nervous. It’s a long walk from the halfway line to the penalty spot, I can tell you! The tension in the stadium was probably the highest I had ever felt. I had decided pre-tournament that I would retire from international football, so I knew this could be the last time I kicked a ball for England. Subsequently I was talked out of retirement after the tournament. You have to bear in mind that I did my apprenticeship as an electrician in the Borough of Brentford, which also encompasses Wembley.

For me it was a clear cut as this. If I didn’t take a penalty one of my teammates, who isn’t as good as taking penalties, would have to take one. As soon as the match finished I went to Terry Venables and said “I’ll take the third penalty.” He said, and I am keeping the swear words out of this, “OK, Stuart,” and the rest is history. How can I tell children that I am training “don’t be afraid to fail” if I didn’t practise what I preach?

Onto Croatian football. Do you follow the game here and who are your favourite players?

I played with Igor Štimac and Davor Šuker at West Ham. And then at West Ham we actually played against Dinamo Zagreb a couple of years ago. I remember seeing Joško Gvardiol playing for Dinamo, I think it was only his second game, and thinking this guy can play. I have admired Modrić from afar as well.

What are your opinions on the appointment of Thomas Tuchel as the new England manager?

Mixed. I would have preferred that an Englishman was the new manager, I like the idea of promoting from within. But if, at this moment in time, we don’t think that there is someone from within we can promote then we have to get behind whoever the FA decide is the best candidate for the job. Tuchel has a good a CV as anyone. And I as a patriotic Englishman will support him all the way. Looking back, and I worked closely with Gareth Southgate, I think the job he did over eight years was absolutely outstanding.