‘You know African dads’ - Tomori claims his father did not care if he played football

Born in Calgary, Canada, to Nigerian parents, Tomori moved to England as an infant and began his footballing journey at Chelsea's renowned Cobham Academy.

The defender had his breakout season under Frank Lampard in the 2019-20 season and ended up going on a loan spell before making a permanent switch to AC Milan in 2021.

Tomori's international eligibility was also a topic of discussion early in his career and was tipped to play for the Super Eagles, but he claimed he was not approached by the NFF and instead chose England.

Despite not wearing the green and white of the Super Eagles, Tomori's upbringing was deeply influenced by his Nigerian heritage. 

He described growing up in a typical African household where academics were prioritised over sports.

"Nowadays, parents want their children to play football, but my dad didn't really care," Tomori shared. "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."

He recalled his father's old-school advice, which included studying legendary players. "I was a midfielder back then, so he'd tell me to watch [Michael] Essien. He's a bit more old school, so he'd always be talking about George Weah."