David Brooks on fatherhood, facing Ronaldo and Bournemouth's first European campaign

David Brooks said in an interview with Feast of Football on 20 August 2026 that he is balancing preparations for fatherhood with the prospect of facing Cristiano Ronaldo in the Nations League and making his club European debut in the Europa League. The 29-year-old midfielder joined Bournemouth from Sheffield United in 2018.

Brooks and his wife Flora are preparing for their daughter Lottie’s first steps; Brooks said: "She's crawling now and standing up. I'm getting my steps in when I get home." He added: "Things have changed from the first couple of months after she was born where you're frightened to do anything." "I'm enjoying it a lot now, she's got a personality so when you go home there's obviously a lot of enjoyment to be had."

Brooks recounted his cancer fight, saying he was diagnosed five years ago with stage two Hodgkin lymphoma, underwent chemotherapy, "lost more than a stone in weight" and was left so weak he struggled to get out of bed. "Seven months later, in May 2022, Brooks declared himself cancer-free before he made his long-awaited return to action in March 2023." He reflected: "It feels like a different lifetime ago," Brooks recalls. "Over the past couple of years, I've kind of got back to a place prior to that. So I feel good, and sometimes I forget that it even happened."

Brooks, who made his Wales debut in 2017, could reach his 50th cap by the end of the year as Wales contest Nations League A home-and-away games against Portugal, Denmark and Norway. Wales start the campaign against Portugal in Lisbon on 24 September, giving the self-described boyhood Manchester United fan a chance to play against one of his idols, Cristiano Ronaldo. "I had one or two of his tops," Brooks said. "Being on that stage with potentially one of the best players of probably our lifetime - it's just crazy. "It's a massive accomplishment for me personally to make it back to that point. "Going to play against the best teams in Europe is obviously a massive bonus for Wales, and we want to showcase our talents and prove to the world that we're not just there to make up the numbers, that we can compete."

Wales are recovering from the disappointment of failing to qualify for the summer's World Cup and from off-field uncertainty after head coach Craig Bellamy nearly moved to Burnley; some former players have said Bellamy has "burnt some bridges." Brooks said the squad are "getting back to work," with Euro 2028 their next target. "We've performed well under him over the past couple of years," said Brooks. "Everyone has personal decisions that they're going to make."

Bournemouth qualified for European football for the first time in their history after finishing sixth in the Premier League, but the coach who achieved that, Andoni Iraola, left and has taken over at Liverpool, with Marco Rose replacing him at Vitality Stadium. On Iraola's departure Brooks said: "When Andoni told us he was leaving we were a little bit gutted because we did really well last season," Brooks said. "But changes happen. We wish him all the best at his new club." On his new manager he added: "Once this gaffer [Rose] came in he was really friendly. He just wanted to get to know everyone and set out what he wants done. "We've all really enjoyed training and we did well in pre-season, so we're looking forward to getting the season started to show everyone what we can do."

Bournemouth will discover their Europa League opponents when the league phase draw takes place on 28 August; the club's stadium holds around 11,300 and is the smallest in the Premier League by more than 6,000 seats, though the club has secured the necessary Uefa licence to host matches. Brooks said: "I've tasted going abroad with Wales, but I've never done it at club level," and added: "I'm really looking forward to those European nights and and how special they can be. "We're all looking forward to the draw and seeing where we're going to end up."

Bournemouth begin their Premier League campaign at Manchester City on Sunday, and Brooks discussed former team-mate Antoine Semenyo, who left the Cherries in January but remains in the club's WhatsApp coffee group chat. "We haven't thrown him out yet. To be fair, half of us in that group chat aren't even at Bournemouth anymore. So we might have to make a new one," said Brooks. "Hopefully I'm not tracking him back too much. He's a fantastic player and we still keep in touch. "I'm hoping he doesn't score against us, and we all wish he has another good season - after the first game of course."

Bournemouth have never won at Manchester City in the Premier League, and three points at Etihad Stadium on Sunday would be another new experience for Brooks in what he described as a season full of firsts.