Seems quite level headed and in a good place, hopefully this is the season he makes his mark.
The first time I ever met Rubin Colwill was after he scored his first, and second, goal for Cardiff City.
It was at the City Ground in September 2021, after the-then 19-year-old had just scored two second-half goals to inflict a 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest.
Colwill spoke in one-word sentences, a buzzing young kid still delirious that his dream of scoring for the club he had always dreamed of playing for had come true.
The Colwill that sits in front of me today, at Cardiff's Amendoeira Golf Resort training base in the Algarve, is a completely different prospect. He speaks far more confidently now and on a variety of topics and what he says is invariably very interesting.
Less than two years on from our first meeting, so much has changed for him. He has 66 Cardiff games under his belt, has been to the Euros and the World Cup with Wales, had two birthdays, grown five inches taller and had more injuries than he would like. He has had to grow up fast.
"You have to grow up a lot earlier in football. Some of my mates are in university without a care in the world," he says. "But it starts early with football, at 14 or 15. You turn up and you want to play football for the rest of your life. If you're not doing it well then that's not going to happen.
"You've got to grow up a lot earlier than most people do. The pressures make you do that.
"I've definitely had low points, but it's how you deal with the low points that's the big difference maker. I'm no different to anyone else - I've had no more or less low points than anyone else, everyone has them in different ways. You only know how you feel.
"You've got to get on with it. Sometimes you've got to realise football is not the only thing in the world - even if it is really important to you - you have to get that balance. I've had low points but it's the bouncing back that counts."
Given Colwill was a player who burst onto the scene and had seemingly boundless talent, the spotlight zeroed in on him. Some have accused the media, myself included, of burdening the 21-year-old with the weight of expectation, so I thought it was only fair to put that to him to gauge if he felt that was true.
"It's been pretty fair," he says of the coverage he has received. "I don't read too much, but I do get sent things from family members and they tell me if I've had a good write up or not. But I do think it's been pretty fair. I don't think it has placed an unfair expectation on the young lads.
"Young lads from Cardiff or south Wales, it's a good thing to get their names out there so people know who we are. I suppose it does bring added pressure, but we are in an industry where there is a lot of pressure anyway. So you can't let it get to you, it's something you have to deal with.
"If someone is doing well, you should say. If they aren't doing well, you should say. I think it's been really fair."
He credits his parents and family for helping to keep him grounded and being his rock during difficult moments. He appreciates it must be tough for them, too, especially with his younger brother, Joel, currently tipped to be the next academy product to come through after impressing in pre-season. "Without my parents I don't think me or my brother would be where we are," he adds. "I think it's a good reflection of my parents that me and my brother are doing so well."
Talk naturally flows into football and how last season was anything other than ideal for him. He reels off the injuries he sustained just over the last 12 months - hamstring, hip, tendonitis in his knee - and it makes for unpleasant listening.
During the game against Braga, one Cardiff City player was sitting in front of me in the stands and during a conversation about Rubin he said: "The last two weeks, I've seen exactly what all the excitement is about."
The playmaker has looked really positive in pre-season, playing in that No.10, second-striker role and really flourishing. Whisper it quietly, but it feels like it's going to be a big year for the Wales international.
"Last year I missed all pre-season with injury," he says, "so it's nice to get a run of a couple of games, a lot of training under my belt so I am in a good place fitness-wise for the start of the season. Then my footballing ability will be ready when the season starts.
"Last year was a tough one for me, so the new boys probably haven't seen the best of me. I try to show every day in training what I can do and it's good to hear the other boys saying nice things."
Clearly it's not been the smoothest of rides since he made his debut under Mick McCarthy two years ago. In that time, four managers have left, two relegation battles have been fought and the club have changed footballing philosophies and even Colwill's position and role a number of times.
It's hardly the most conducive environment for any player, let alone a youngster finding his feet in the game, to thrive.
"It's tough for anyone, but it has more of an affect on the younger lads, we are new to this whole environment and we are trying to show people what we can do," he says of the destabilising two years.
"So you show one manager what you can do, but then we're not going to be as consistent as some of the older lads, so then you have a good few weeks in training, the manager changes, you have a dip in form and you have to do it all again. It's tough to keep impressing new managers."
Erol Bulut is the freshly-minted City boss, of course, and Colwill is brimming with positivity regarding what the season holds for both himself and the team.
"There is more structure to it," he says of Bulut. "He has got a very clear plan of what he wants to do which makes it easier for us going into games. We are seeing bits of it coming through in games now. It's exciting.
"Scoring goals is the most important thing in football and we've been working a lot on patterns on the edge of the box and finishing. That's a big area for us to improve, scoring more goals.
"I've had some meetings with him on my position and where they see me playing. I think playing as that second striker, dropping in and getting the ball, that suits me more than what I've done in the past. But we've got a lot of good players now, so it's about getting into the team and that's on me. I'm just trying to do as well as I can.
"There is definitely potential there. Even last year I thought there was potential. The first six months we were playing some good stuff, but when it gets tough you just have to think about results and staying in the league.
"But this is a fresh start, we can really build on what we started last year with the manager's new ideas and get into the top half of the table. We've definitely got the ability to push for top six - but it's a tough league, so it will be interesting to see where we end up."
For someone like Colwill, starting out as a midfielder in Cardiff with lofty ambitions, the signing of Aaron Ramsey is like manna from heaven. As he puts it himself, there is no one better for him to learn from.
Ramsey said earlier this week that Colwill has the potential to reach the very top, it's just a case of how much he wants it. Under Ramsey's tutelage, though, Colwill will hope to flourish as he battles it out for that No.10 spot in Bulut's starting line-up.
Speaking of Ramsey signing, Colwill says: "It was class. I remember the (Gareth) Bale thing last year, people saying he was coming and then he wasn't coming. We didn't really know. It was the same this year. The same sort of hype around it all.
"It didn't feel real until he showed up to get on the plane to Portugal! Seeing him in a Cardiff kit again... whoa. It was mad.
"I couldn't ask for anyone better to watch in training and play with every day. He will probably play a few more minutes than me - but I'm going to try and learn from him as much as I can.
"He's had his own journey and I'm on my own journey. Obviously it would be nice to have the career Aaron has had, but it's something I can only strive towards."
It'll be tough going to get into this side, Colwill admits as much himself. Yakou Meite, Ike Ugbo, Karlan Grant and Ramsey himself are all new signings and will all want to be first choice this season. So, too, will the likes of Callum Robinson, Kion Etete and Callum O'Dowda.
All Colwill can focus on is himself, though, and Ramsey's words are still ringing in his ears. How much does he want it?
"There are a lot of talented players in the team," he adds. "But having been in the Welsh squad and playing alongside some of the best players in the world, it's come with a lot of hard work and dedication.
"Like Aaron said, if I dedicate my life to it then [reaching the top] is achievable for me. There has to be a lot of luck along the way, but at least I can give myself a chance of making it to the top if I dedicate myself and work really hard."
A little bit of luck with injuries, a pinch of stability and the perfect teacher in Aaron Ramsey might just be the cocktail Rubin needs to launch himself once again this season.
The Rubin Colwill interview: I've had my low points but now I'm in a good place and have Ramsey to guide me
The first time I ever met Rubin Colwill was after he scored his first, and second, goal for Cardiff City.
It was at the City Ground in September 2021, after the-then 19-year-old had just scored two second-half goals to inflict a 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest.
Colwill spoke in one-word sentences, a buzzing young kid still delirious that his dream of scoring for the club he had always dreamed of playing for had come true.
The Colwill that sits in front of me today, at Cardiff's Amendoeira Golf Resort training base in the Algarve, is a completely different prospect. He speaks far more confidently now and on a variety of topics and what he says is invariably very interesting.
Less than two years on from our first meeting, so much has changed for him. He has 66 Cardiff games under his belt, has been to the Euros and the World Cup with Wales, had two birthdays, grown five inches taller and had more injuries than he would like. He has had to grow up fast.
"You have to grow up a lot earlier in football. Some of my mates are in university without a care in the world," he says. "But it starts early with football, at 14 or 15. You turn up and you want to play football for the rest of your life. If you're not doing it well then that's not going to happen.
"You've got to grow up a lot earlier than most people do. The pressures make you do that.
"I've definitely had low points, but it's how you deal with the low points that's the big difference maker. I'm no different to anyone else - I've had no more or less low points than anyone else, everyone has them in different ways. You only know how you feel.
"You've got to get on with it. Sometimes you've got to realise football is not the only thing in the world - even if it is really important to you - you have to get that balance. I've had low points but it's the bouncing back that counts."
Given Colwill was a player who burst onto the scene and had seemingly boundless talent, the spotlight zeroed in on him. Some have accused the media, myself included, of burdening the 21-year-old with the weight of expectation, so I thought it was only fair to put that to him to gauge if he felt that was true.
"It's been pretty fair," he says of the coverage he has received. "I don't read too much, but I do get sent things from family members and they tell me if I've had a good write up or not. But I do think it's been pretty fair. I don't think it has placed an unfair expectation on the young lads.
"Young lads from Cardiff or south Wales, it's a good thing to get their names out there so people know who we are. I suppose it does bring added pressure, but we are in an industry where there is a lot of pressure anyway. So you can't let it get to you, it's something you have to deal with.
"If someone is doing well, you should say. If they aren't doing well, you should say. I think it's been really fair."
He credits his parents and family for helping to keep him grounded and being his rock during difficult moments. He appreciates it must be tough for them, too, especially with his younger brother, Joel, currently tipped to be the next academy product to come through after impressing in pre-season. "Without my parents I don't think me or my brother would be where we are," he adds. "I think it's a good reflection of my parents that me and my brother are doing so well."
Talk naturally flows into football and how last season was anything other than ideal for him. He reels off the injuries he sustained just over the last 12 months - hamstring, hip, tendonitis in his knee - and it makes for unpleasant listening.
During the game against Braga, one Cardiff City player was sitting in front of me in the stands and during a conversation about Rubin he said: "The last two weeks, I've seen exactly what all the excitement is about."
The playmaker has looked really positive in pre-season, playing in that No.10, second-striker role and really flourishing. Whisper it quietly, but it feels like it's going to be a big year for the Wales international.
"Last year I missed all pre-season with injury," he says, "so it's nice to get a run of a couple of games, a lot of training under my belt so I am in a good place fitness-wise for the start of the season. Then my footballing ability will be ready when the season starts.
"Last year was a tough one for me, so the new boys probably haven't seen the best of me. I try to show every day in training what I can do and it's good to hear the other boys saying nice things."
Clearly it's not been the smoothest of rides since he made his debut under Mick McCarthy two years ago. In that time, four managers have left, two relegation battles have been fought and the club have changed footballing philosophies and even Colwill's position and role a number of times.
It's hardly the most conducive environment for any player, let alone a youngster finding his feet in the game, to thrive.
"It's tough for anyone, but it has more of an affect on the younger lads, we are new to this whole environment and we are trying to show people what we can do," he says of the destabilising two years.
"So you show one manager what you can do, but then we're not going to be as consistent as some of the older lads, so then you have a good few weeks in training, the manager changes, you have a dip in form and you have to do it all again. It's tough to keep impressing new managers."
Erol Bulut is the freshly-minted City boss, of course, and Colwill is brimming with positivity regarding what the season holds for both himself and the team.
"There is more structure to it," he says of Bulut. "He has got a very clear plan of what he wants to do which makes it easier for us going into games. We are seeing bits of it coming through in games now. It's exciting.
"Scoring goals is the most important thing in football and we've been working a lot on patterns on the edge of the box and finishing. That's a big area for us to improve, scoring more goals.
"I've had some meetings with him on my position and where they see me playing. I think playing as that second striker, dropping in and getting the ball, that suits me more than what I've done in the past. But we've got a lot of good players now, so it's about getting into the team and that's on me. I'm just trying to do as well as I can.
"There is definitely potential there. Even last year I thought there was potential. The first six months we were playing some good stuff, but when it gets tough you just have to think about results and staying in the league.
"But this is a fresh start, we can really build on what we started last year with the manager's new ideas and get into the top half of the table. We've definitely got the ability to push for top six - but it's a tough league, so it will be interesting to see where we end up."
For someone like Colwill, starting out as a midfielder in Cardiff with lofty ambitions, the signing of Aaron Ramsey is like manna from heaven. As he puts it himself, there is no one better for him to learn from.
Ramsey said earlier this week that Colwill has the potential to reach the very top, it's just a case of how much he wants it. Under Ramsey's tutelage, though, Colwill will hope to flourish as he battles it out for that No.10 spot in Bulut's starting line-up.
Speaking of Ramsey signing, Colwill says: "It was class. I remember the (Gareth) Bale thing last year, people saying he was coming and then he wasn't coming. We didn't really know. It was the same this year. The same sort of hype around it all.
"It didn't feel real until he showed up to get on the plane to Portugal! Seeing him in a Cardiff kit again... whoa. It was mad.
"I couldn't ask for anyone better to watch in training and play with every day. He will probably play a few more minutes than me - but I'm going to try and learn from him as much as I can.
"He's had his own journey and I'm on my own journey. Obviously it would be nice to have the career Aaron has had, but it's something I can only strive towards."
It'll be tough going to get into this side, Colwill admits as much himself. Yakou Meite, Ike Ugbo, Karlan Grant and Ramsey himself are all new signings and will all want to be first choice this season. So, too, will the likes of Callum Robinson, Kion Etete and Callum O'Dowda.
All Colwill can focus on is himself, though, and Ramsey's words are still ringing in his ears. How much does he want it?
"There are a lot of talented players in the team," he adds. "But having been in the Welsh squad and playing alongside some of the best players in the world, it's come with a lot of hard work and dedication.
"Like Aaron said, if I dedicate my life to it then [reaching the top] is achievable for me. There has to be a lot of luck along the way, but at least I can give myself a chance of making it to the top if I dedicate myself and work really hard."
A little bit of luck with injuries, a pinch of stability and the perfect teacher in Aaron Ramsey might just be the cocktail Rubin needs to launch himself once again this season.
WEED CLUB 
