How does DJ Diogo Dalot set the mood at Man Utd? Portuguese defender explains play list choices that get the Red Devils fired up

Dalot has been in charge of setting musical moods at Old Trafford for several years now, having become a regular for Premier League heavyweights on the back of a loan spell at AC Milan in 2020-21. He has made more than 50 appearances across all competitions in each of the last two campaigns.

As a prominent figure in the United first-team squad, duties that stretch well beyond merely doing his day job have been fully embraced. Dalot is delighted to have been trusted with picking the background noise that gets collective juices flowing before a ball is kicked in anger.

Speaking in association with DHL Express, the official logistics partner of Manchester United, Dalot told GOAL when asked how he chooses what to play and whether those decisions are influenced by the opponents about to be faced: “I have been the dressing room DJ for a long time now, and it isn't an easy job trying to please 25 players with different tastes! I feel the pressure because I don’t want to put a bad song on, but I’m at the stage now where I can choose the tracks I want while balancing requests. I look at it in a professional way; I have to think about the energy of the room. Sometimes I need to lift the mood and other times people need their own space - it all depends on the game.”

Dalot is part of the six-man leadership group at Old Trafford that was put in place by former boss Ruben Amorim and includes club captain Bruno Fernandes, experienced defender Harry Maguire, World Cup winner Lisandro Martinez, Moroccan full-back Noussair Mazraoui and veteran goalkeeper Tom Heaton.

He added on getting that nod: “Being named as part of the six-man leadership team at United gives me a lot of extra responsibility. It’s a role that felt quite natural to me, rather than something forced, but it is also a learning process. When you have so many different personalities in a dressing room, you have to find ways of connecting with everyone at different moments. It gives me that extra responsibility to match the standards of the club and try to keep everyone on the right path.”

Manchester United continue to spread that ethos across the globe, with the Premier League giants teaming up with DHL Express to deliver a professional-grade, all-weather football pitch to one of the most geographically isolated communities in the world. Located 140km and more than four hours from the nearest major city, Chiang Mai, and a 2.5-hour round trip from the closest functional football pitch, Mae Suek in Thailand is home to 11 villages and 11,577 people who share a love for the beautiful game and Manchester United in particular.

With ex-Red Devils left-back Patrice Evra making a special appearance at the official unveiling of an exciting project, current United skipper Fernandes said: “It is projects like this that inspire young children from around the world to believe that they can one day play at the Theatre of Dreams. The enjoyment and the passion to play football is the same, whether it is on your local pitch or in front of 75,000 fans at Old Trafford. It’s a great project and I know it will be enjoyed by the children and wider community of Mae Suek.”

Red Devils forward Matheus Cunha went on to say, having started out in his native Brazil before heading to Europe: “When I look back at my experience as a child, it was all about playing with total freedom. I never thought about tactics, I just played! That freedom improved me so much because it allowed me to meet people of all different ages who each taught me something new. Having a coach and a place to play helped me become a better person as I grew up. My childhood was defined by that dream of becoming a footballer, so it is amazing to see these kids getting that same opportunity, with the help of this professional level pitch.”

Dalot knows what it takes to make childhood dreams come true and added on the need for grassroots culture to remain an integral part of modern day sport: “When you want to be a football player, you have to start somewhere. This gesture can help provide a dream to a lot of kids who would like to be in the position that I am today. If they don't have a pitch to play on or a facility where they can be happy and enjoy this beautiful sport, it makes achieving those dreams even more difficult. It is a remarkable campaign, and it would be an amazing experience for us to one day hear that a future Manchester United player started their career because of this help.”

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