Yahoo Sports ‘Best thing I ever did’ – Tomori opens up on time at Milan, learning Italian and Ibrahimovic
AC Milan defender Fikayo Tomori has reflected on the time that he has spent at the club, and confirmed that he still has England ambitions.
Tomori arrived at Milan from Chelsea in the winter transfer window of the 2020-21 season to add cover to a defensive department that was ravaged by injury. However, he quickly proved himself to be good enough to be an established starter.
Thus, the management decided to make his loan deal a permanent one by triggering an option to buy that was just under €30m. He has now been at the club for what is approaching half a decade, experiencing highs such as the Scudetto and a Champions League semi-final.
While he might not be an immovable player under Paulo Fonseca and there are reports about a potential move back to England, the 26-year-old continues to declare how happy he is with the Rossoneri.
Tomori did an interview with ITV Sport’s Liam MacDevitt as part of their International Ballers series on ITV Sport YouTube, and they kindly sent us his comments with the video below.
On his future with England…
“In my head I think if I keep doing what I am doing that eventually it’s going to come. I’ve got to get my foot through that door…I don’t make the decisions so if I am not in the squad I have just got to do more.
“Obviously I would like to be there – I know in my head if I play well in Milan then things will work out. It’s still my goal to play in a World Cup or Euros with England.”
More Stories / Features
More centrality, more profligacy: How Leao’s role has changed and the key aspect to improve
Loanees shine while Milan stutter: Background on each deal and how the future looks
No goals, no chances, no quality: Milan and Juventus complicit in terrible advert for Serie A
On playing alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic…
“What you see in the media, you might not see it everyday but that really is him. It’s not an act. He is the most demanding person I have ever come across in life. Everything had to be perfect.
“He would be like ‘if you want me to shoot, you pass it to my feet, so I don’t have to reach’. Even in training you would always hear him.
“When I first came to Milan, it was Covid so there was no one in the stadium and you could hear him all of the time. He’s a top professional, top player and I’ve never heard a player strike a ball the way he struck a ball.”
On winning Serie A…
“My parents didn’t watch the game when we won the league because they were too scared, so they just waited and then could finally relax once it was done.”
“When we won the fans ran onto the pitch and one fan grabbed and said ‘thank you so much’. People were crying, it was mad. We had the parade the next day and that is for sure the best two days I’ve had.”
On the first call that came to join Milan…
“When I first found out about it I was kind of shocked really…the thing that made me realise it’s Milan was when I spoke to Maldini.
“Then I spoke to my dad and he grew up watching Milan in the 80’s and he was like ‘George Weah, Maldini…’, so he was talking about all of those people. I went to the museum (at A.C. Milan) and then I realised how big this club is.
“Probably the best thing I ever did and the best decision I made, not only in football but in life because it opened up my view on football and life.”
On learning Italian and translating for team-mates…
“I could understand it pretty quickly. It’s different now, the manager speaks English but when I got here the manager didn’t speak English, the players didn’t speak English. I just had to learn.
“I had to learn how to communicate – it’s almost autonomous in my head now where I am playing as a translator for other people.”
On Tammy Abraham and Ruben Loftus-Cheek both joining…
“I always tease Tammy and say you came to Italy because of me. When I first came here there were no British players in my team and not many in Serie A. Now we’ve got Tammy, Ruben…Billy Gilmour, Scott McTominay, Ademola Lookman.
“I think a lot of people realise that you can make a career outside of the Premier League and learn a new culture and a new way of playing football.”
On family…
“For my parents they understood that I could play football well but especially my dad because he’s an accountant and very logical, your education you are going to have forever, you are not going to play football forever.
“My dad pushed me but he didn’t make it seem like football was the be all and end all. My dad’s my accountant. He sees what I spend my money on. He’ll call me up and be like ‘ah, I saw you went to this place.’”
