Diogo Dalot is the man bestowed with the role of matchday DJ in the Manchester United dressing room.
Upon arrival at the stadium, our custom-designed JBL speaker (see below) becomes Diogo’s property, as he sets about on his mission to “reach everyone”
with a series of tunes that will set the pre-match mood.
It’s an important job, getting the balance of energy and focus right while making sure that the different musical tastes in United’s multicultural squad are catered for. But it’s one that Dalot has a real passion for.
“Music has been a big part of my life, not just me but in my family as well, and I think I’m the type of person that really likes different types of music and different styles, so I would say that I can reach everybody in the dressing room,”
he tells us, when we ask him how his role as DJ came about, during an interview that features inside the music-themed first issue of United magazine.
“That’s one of the reasons why I started putting music on. For the last few years it’s been like this and I try to please everybody.
“I think music is important for you before a game to feel energised and to feel connected, and in a good mood to go to the game. So, I try to choose the right ones [songs].”
Bryan Mbeumo – the cover star of the issue – calls Dalot
“the king [of the music]”while Matheus Cunha says “Diogo is an unbelievable DJ” who “plays a little part of the world for everyone”.
The defender’s deep-rooted love for music, as he references in the quotes above, comes from his family, whose influence he elaborates on later in the interview.
“My parents, at university when they were doing their studies, they met each other in a choir. They met each other by singing, through music, so everything started there,”
Dalot explains.
“And I remember when I was a young kid I played piano for a while, I also tried to sing in a choir, so music was always a big part of my life.
“My sister [Mariana, a talented singer] was pretty much done that she would make music for her life – myself, I was a little bit in between sports and music, and as soon as I started to understand, or my parents start to understand, that I was more into football than music they pushed me a bit more to one side.
“But it was always something that was a big part of my life and I think everybody enjoys it. Even if it’s one time per day or one time per week, there’s always that space in your life to hear some music and to get inspired by music.”
FURTHER READING
Explore our club's connection to music in issue one of United magazine - order one online and have it delivered to your door.