England and AC Milan defender Fikayo Tomori has revealed why he chose to play for the Three Lions over the Super Eagles of Nigeria, Soccernet.ng reports.
The 27-year-old came through the famous Chelsea Cobham academy before breaking out in the 2019/2020 season under Frank Lampard.
The following year, he moved to the San Siro on loan, before he joined AC Milan permanently in 2021.
Tomori was born in Calgary, Alberta in Canada, to Nigerian parents before the family moved to England when the defender was a year old.
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Born in Canada, Tomori started playing for the England U-19 team when he was 18. Prior to that, he played for the Canadian youth team.
Why Tomori chose England over the Super Eagles of Nigeria
The former Derby County defender was eligible to play for Nigeria via his parents. While former England youth stars like Ola Aina, Alex Iwobi and Ademola Lookman opted to play for the Super Eagles, Tomori didn’t, but so far, he’s recorded just five appearances for the Three Lions.
However, he’s confident he made the right decision and is eyeing a spot in Thomas Tuchel’s 2026 FIFA World Cup squad.
“I was playing for the Canada youth team, but about four months later, the England Academy manager reached out about the possibility of switching over,” the one-time Serie A winner said on the Filthy Fellas Podcast.
“The next International break, England called me, and I knew I had to go. I thought if I said no, would I ever get a call-up again?
“We won the U-20 FIFA World Cup; it was a good tournament because we had a good team. We had Solanke, Lookman, Calvert-Lewin, Lewis Cook and Dean Henderson.
“It didn’t feel different [from Canada] because all my friends were in there. Tammy Abraham, so it felt like Chelsea again.
“Everyone used to get called up at the time, so I just felt somehow whenever I was left out. It’s why I went to Canada first. If it was Nigeria, I’d have gone.
“Would I have changed to Nigeria from England? I don’t know because at the time, I was playing for Chelsea, so I thought I would play for England. I thought I could make it to the national team.
“Nigeria isn’t bad, though. All my boys are there. Ola [Aina] is there, Mola [Lookman] is there, and Alex [Iwobi] is there.
“It’s not like I wouldn’t have played there, but they never called me, so I never had a choice to make.
“If they called me, I would have a decision to make, but they never officially called me,” the one-time FIFA-U20 World Cup winner revealed.
Nigerian influence evident in Tomori’s career
While he didn’t play for the Super Eagles, Fikayo grew up in a typical African household. His father made sure he was hands-on in his academics first, before football came.
“Nowadays, parents want their children to play football, but my dad didn’t really care. He always looked the other way.
“So, there was no pressure on me to play football. I was about 15 when I think the switch came. You know African dads. He started telling me to watch certain players, and eventually, he just told me to do what the coaches say.
“I was a midfielder back then, so he’d tell me to watch Essien. He’s a bit more old school, so he’d always be talking about George Weah,” Tomori concluded.
The central defender’s last game for England came in the Three Lions’ 2-0 win over Malta in November 2023.