Fikayo Tomori

Oluwafikayomi Oluwadamilola "Fikayo" Tomori (born 19 December 1997) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Serie A club AC Milan and the England national team. Born in Canada, he represents England at international level.

Fikayo Tomori
Tomori playing for Chelsea in 2019
Personal information
Full name Oluwafikayomi Oluwadamilola Tomori[1]
Date of birth (1997-12-19) 19 December 1997[2]
Place of birth Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[2]
Position(s) Centre-back
Club information
Current team
 AC Milan
Number 23
Youth career
Riverview United
2005–2016 Chelsea
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2021 Chelsea 17 (1)
2017 → Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) 9 (0)
2017–2018 → Hull City (loan) 25 (0)
2018–2019 → Derby County (loan) 44 (1)
2021 → AC Milan (loan) 17 (1)
2021– AC Milan 28 (0)
National team‡
2016 Canada U20 3 (0)
2016 England U19 5 (0)
2016–2017 England U20 15 (0)
2017–2019 England U21 15 (0)
2019– England 2 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 19:53, 1 May 2022 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 17:58, 9 October 2021 (UTC)

Early life

Tomori was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada to Nigerian parents. Before the age of one, Tomori moved with his family to England where he was raised.[3][4] He began playing for Riverview United in Kent when he was six.[4] Growing up, his footballing idol was Thierry Henry.[5] He attended Gravesend Grammar School in Kent from 2009 until 2014, when he decided to leave Gravesend to go to Chelsea full time at age 16.

Club career

2005–16: Youth career

Tomori joined the Chelsea Academy at under-8 level and progressed through the club's academy system.[6] He was part of the Chelsea youth side which recorded back to back triumphs in both the UEFA Youth League and the FA Youth Cup in 2015 and 2016.[6]

On 11 May 2016, Tomori was named to the first-team substitute bench along with fellow academy players Tammy Abraham and Kasey Palmer, in Chelsea's 1–1 draw with Liverpool. However, he failed to make an appearance at Anfield.[7] On 15 May 2016, in Chelsea's final game of the 2015/16 campaign, Tomori made his professional debut in a 1–1 draw with Premier League champions Leicester City, replacing Branislav Ivanović in the 60th minute.[8] Although Tomori was included in the United States pre-season tour, he did not make a single appearance.[9] On 1 August 2016, Tomori signed a new four-year contract ahead of the 2016–17 campaign.[10] On 12 August 2016, Tomori was handed the number 33 shirt prior to the season's beginning, switching from his previous number 43.[11]

2017: Loan to Brighton & Hove Albion

On 23 January 2017, Tomori joined Championship side Brighton & Hove Albion on loan for the remainder of the 2016–17 campaign.[12] Five days later, Tomori made his Brighton debut in a 3–1 away defeat against National League side Lincoln City in the FA Cup fourth round, in which he scored an own goal to give Lincoln the lead.[13] On 18 February 2017, Tomori made his league debut for Brighton, in their 2–0 away victory against Barnsley, replacing Anthony Knockaert in stoppage time of the second half.[14] On 18 March 2017, Tomori was given his first start for Brighton in their 2–0 away defeat against Leeds United, featuring for the entire 90 minutes.[15]

2017–18: Loan to Hull City

On 31 August 2017, Tomori joined Championship side Hull City on a season long loan deal.[16] He made his debut on 13 September 2017, in a 2–1 defeat away to Fulham.[17]

2018–19: Loan to Derby County

On 6 August 2018, Tomori joined Championship side Derby County on a season long loan.[18] He made his debut on 11 August in a 1–4 loss against Leeds United.[19][20] His time at the club saw him named the club's "Player of the Year".[21]

2019–20: First-team breakthrough

Following the expiration of his loan, Tomori returned to Chelsea where he was given the No. 29 shirt.[22] On 31 August 2019, Tomori made his first start for Chelsea against Sheffield United, which ended a 2–2 draw at Stamford Bridge.[23] He scored his first goal for Chelsea on 14 September 2019, opening the scoring with long-range curler from outside the box, in a 5–2 away win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.[24] He scored a header against former club Hull City to help Chelsea to a 2–1 win in the fourth round of the FA Cup at the KCOM Stadium on 25 January 2020.[25]

2020–21: Loan to AC Milan

On 22 January 2021, Tomori joined Italian side AC Milan on loan for the remainder of the 2020–21 season with an option to buy.[26] Four days later, he made his debut in the Coppa Italia quarter-final against Inter Milan in the Derby della Madonnina, coming on as a substitute for the injured Simon Kjær in a 2–1 away defeat.[27] On 9 May 2021, Tomori scored his first goal for Milan in a 3–0 away league win over rivals Juventus.[28] Tomori became the first Englishman to score for Milan since David Beckham in 2009 and it was the club's first away win against Juventus in the league since March 2011.[29]

AC Milan

On 17 June 2021, Tomori signed a permanent deal with Milan until 30 June 2025, after the club exercised their £25m buy option from his previous loan.[30] Tomori opted to take shirt No.23 at Milan [31]

2021–22

Tomori scored his first goal of the season on 7 December 2021, against Liverpool in a Champions League match; Milan eventually lost 2–1.[32] With his teammate Simon Kjær out of action for the remainder of season due to injury, Tomori became a regular in the starting line up. On 12 March 2022, as Milan won 1–0 against Empoli, they managed to secure two clean sheets in a row for the first time in 2022, courtesy of Tomori partnering in defense with Pierre Kalulu.[33]

International career

Tomori was eligible to represent Nigeria at international level through his parents,[34] Canada through his birth in Calgary and England through having lived in the country since he was a child.[35] On 17 November 2019, Tomori made his competitive England debut against Kosovo in a UEFA Euro 2020 qualifier, thus tying his future to the country.[36]

Canada

On 27 March 2016, Tomori captained Canada U20 to a 2–1 victory over England U20 on his third appearance for the nation.[37][38]

Youth

On 16 May 2016, in the next international break and a day after making his professional club debut, Tomori was called up to the England U19 squad.[37] On 4 June 2016, Tomori made his England U19 debut in a 2–0 defeat against Mexico U20s, playing the full 90 minutes.[39] Tomori was also part of the England 2016 UEFA European Under-19 Championship squad which reached the semi-finals before being knocked out by Italy.

Tomori was selected for the England under-20 team in the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Tomori however scored an own goal in England's second group game against Guinea.[40] Nevertheless, Tomori would help England beat Venezuela in the final 1–0, which was England's first win in a global tournament since their World Cup victory of 1966.[41]

On 27 May 2019, Tomori was included in England's 23-man squad for the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.[42]

Senior

On 3 October 2019, Tomori received his first call-up to the England senior squad for forthcoming Euro 2020 qualifying matches.[43] He later said he was committed to playing for England, following interest from Nigeria and Canada; he had previously represented Canada at youth level.[44] Tomori made his debut for England on 17 November 2019 against Kosovo in a UEFA Euro 2020 qualifier.[36]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 1 May 2022[45]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[lower-alpha 1] League cup[lower-alpha 2] Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Chelsea 2015–16[46] Premier League 100000000010
2019–20[47] Premier League 15121004[lower-alpha 3]01[lower-alpha 4]0222
2020–21[48] Premier League 10102000—40
Total 17131204010272
Chelsea U23 2016–17[49] ————2[lower-alpha 5]020
Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) 2016–17[49] Championship 9010———100
Hull City (loan) 2017–18[50] Championship 25010———260
Derby County (loan) 2018–19[51] Championship 4414041—3[lower-alpha 6]0552
AC Milan 2020–21[52] Serie A 17110—4[lower-alpha 7]0—221
2021–22[52] Serie A 28040—5[lower-alpha 3]1—371
Total 45150009100592
Career total 140314161131601796
  1. Includes FA Cup and Coppa Italia
  2. Includes EFL Cup
  3. Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League
  4. Appearance in UEFA Super Cup
  5. Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
  6. Appearance(s) in Championship play-offs
  7. Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League

International
As of match played 9 October 2021[53]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
England 201910
202000
202110
Total20

Honours

Chelsea Youth

Chelsea

Brighton & Hove Albion

England U20

England U21

Individual

See also

References
  1. "FIFA U-20 World Cup Korea Republic 2017: List of Players" (PDF). FIFA. 25 May 2017. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  2. "Fikayo Tomori". 11v11. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  3. "Calgary-born Fikayo Tomori gets call from England national soccer team". CBC Sports. 3 October 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  4. "Fikayo Tomori Canada Profile". Canadian Soccer Association.
  5. "Fikayo Tomori: First, Last and Always". Chelsea F.C. 25 March 2020. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  6. "Fikayo Tomori". TheChels.info.
  7. "Liverpool 1–1 Chelsea". BBC Sport. 11 May 2016.
  8. "Chelsea 1–1 Leicester City". BBC Sport. 15 May 2016.
  9. "Summary: International Champions Cup". Retrieved 15 September 2016.
  10. "Tomori new deal on tour". Chelsea F.C. 1 August 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  11. "Squad list announced". Chelsea F.C. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  12. "Albion sign Chelsea defender on loan". Brighton & Hove Albion Official Site. 23 January 2017. Archived from the original on 28 January 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  13. "Lincoln City 3–1 Brighton & Hove Albion". BBC Sport. 28 January 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  14. "Barnsley 0–2 Brighton & Hove Albion". BBC Sport. 18 February 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  15. "Leeds United 2–0 Brighton & Hove Albion". BBC Sport. 20 March 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  16. "Hull City sign Chelsea defender on loan". Sky Sports. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  17. "Fulham 2–1 Hull City". BBC Sport. BBC. 13 September 2017. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  18. "Fikayo Tomori: Chelsea defender joins Derby County on loan". BBC Sport. 6 August 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  19. "DERBY COUNTY VS LEEDS UNITED". Leeds United. 11 August 2018. Archived from the original on 11 August 2018. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
  20. "Derby 1–4 Leeds – Bielsa's side thrash Rams with brilliant attacking display". BBC Sport. 11 August 2018. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
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  22. "Chelsea 2019/20 Squad Numbers Announced". Chelsea F.C. 2 August 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
  23. "Chelsea 2-2 Sheffield United". SkySports. 31 August 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  24. "Wolves 2-5 Chelsea". SkySports. 14 September 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  25. "MATCH REPORT: HULL 1 CHELSEA 2". Chelsea Football Club. 26 January 2020.
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  35. "Canada U-20 Fikayo Tomori named Chelsea FC's Academy Player of the Year". MLS. 14 May 2016.
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  37. "England Under-19s squad named for Mexico double header". TheFA. 16 May 2016.
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  39. "England Under-19s succumb to second-half goals in Mexico". TheFA. 4 June 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
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