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Fikayo Tomori
FC Salzburg vs. AC Mailand (UEFA Championsleague 2022-09-06) 42.jpg
Tomori playing for AC Milan in 2022
Personal information
Full name Oluwafikayomi Oluwadamilola Tomori
Date of birth (1997-12-19) 19 December 1997 (age 27)
Place of birth Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
AC Milan
Number 23
Youth career
2003–2005 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 112 (5)
International career
2016 Canada U20 3 (0)
2016 England U19 5 (0)
2016–2017 England U20 15 (0)
2017–2019 England U21 15 (0)
2019– England 5 (0)
Medal record
Men's Football
Representing  England
FIFA U-20 World Cup
Winner 2017
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 08:28, 25 May 2025 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:19, 17 November 2023 (UTC)

Fikayo Tomori is a talented professional footballer. He plays as a central defender for the Italian club AC Milan. Fikayo was born in Canada, but he represents the England national team. He was born on December 19, 1997.

Early Life and Football Start

Fikayo Tomori was born in Calgary, Canada. His parents are from Nigeria. Before he was one year old, his family moved to England. He grew up there. Fikayo went to Gravesend Grammar School. He started playing football for Riverview United when he was six. His favorite football player growing up was Thierry Henry.

Club Career Highlights

Starting at Chelsea

Youth Team Success

Fikayo joined the Chelsea Academy when he was just seven years old. He worked his way up through their youth teams. He was part of the Chelsea youth squad that won the UEFA Youth League and the FA Youth Cup two times in a row. This happened in 2015 and 2016.

On May 11, 2016, Fikayo was a substitute for Chelsea's first team. This was during a 1–1 draw against Liverpool. He did not play in that game. On May 15, he made his first team debut. This was in Chelsea's last game of the 2015–16 season. He came on as a substitute in a 1–1 draw against Leicester City. In August 2016, Fikayo signed a new four-year contract with Chelsea.

Loan Spells to Gain Experience

To get more playing time, Fikayo went on loan to other clubs.

  • Brighton & Hove Albion: In January 2017, he joined Brighton & Hove Albion. He played his first game for them in the FA Cup. He made his league debut for Brighton in February 2017.
  • Hull City: In August 2017, Fikayo moved to Hull City on loan for a season. He played his first game for Hull City in September 2017.
  • Derby County: In August 2018, he joined Derby County on loan. He played his first game for them in August. His great performance there earned him the "Player of the Year" award for the club.

Breaking into Chelsea's First Team

Tomori vs Liverpool 2019
Tomori playing for Chelsea in 2019

On August 31, 2019, Fikayo started his first game for Chelsea. It was a 2–2 draw against Sheffield United. He scored his first goal for Chelsea on September 14. It was a long-range shot in a 5–2 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers. He also scored a goal against his former loan club, Hull City. This helped Chelsea win 2–1 in the FA Cup in January 2020.

Moving to AC Milan

Initial Loan and First Goal

On January 22, 2021, Fikayo joined Serie A club AC Milan on loan. He made his debut four days later in a cup game against Inter Milan. On May 9, he scored his first goal for Milan. It was in a 3–0 win against Juventus. He was the first English player to score for Milan since David Beckham in 2009.

Becoming a Champion with Milan

On June 17, 2021, Fikayo signed a permanent deal with Milan. He joined them until June 2025. He scored his first goal of the 2021–22 season in a Champions League match against Liverpool. Fikayo became a regular starter for Milan. He helped Milan win their first Scudetto (Serie A title) in 11 years. Milan also had the best defense in the league that season. In October 2022, he was named in the Serie A Team of the Year.

Recent Seasons with Milan

On August 12, 2022, Fikayo signed a new contract with Milan until June 2027. He scored his first goal of the 2022–23 season in a 2–0 win over Juventus in October 2022. A few days later, he received his first red card in a Champions League game against his old club Chelsea.

In March 2023, he was named "man of the match" in a Champions League game against Tottenham Hotspur. Milan reached the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time since 2007. In September 2023, he received his second red card for Milan in a game against Roma. He scored his first goal of the 2023–24 season in a 3–1 win against Cagliari.

International Career

Playing for Canada Youth Team

On March 27, 2016, Fikayo was the captain for the Canada U20 team. They won 2–1 against England U20. This was his third game for Canada.

Representing England

Youth Teams

Soon after his club debut, Fikayo was called up to the England U19 squad. He played his first game for England U19 in June 2016. He was part of the England team that reached the semi-finals of the 2016 UEFA European Under-19 Championship.

Fikayo was chosen for the England under-20 team for the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He helped England win the final 1–0 against Venezuela. This was England's first win in a global tournament since the 1966 World Cup. In May 2019, Fikayo was part of England's squad for the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

Senior England Team

On October 3, 2019, Fikayo was called up to the senior England squad for the first time. He had also been wanted by Nigeria and Canada. Fikayo made his debut for England on November 17, 2019. This was in a Euro 2020 qualifier against Kosovo.

After almost two years, Fikayo was called back to the England squad in October 2021. He played his second game for England in a 5–0 win against Andorra. On June 11, 2022, Fikayo started his first game for England against Italy.

He was not chosen for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He returned to the England squad in September 2023. On October 13, 2023, he started his first international game in 16 months. This was a friendly 1–0 win against Australia at Wembley Stadium.

How Fikayo Plays

Fikayo Tomori is known for being very fast and tackling hard. He is good with the ball and can play in many defensive spots. He usually plays as a central defender on the right side. But he can also play on the left side because he is good with his left foot. Sometimes, he has even played as a full-back on the sides of the field.

He is 1.85 meters tall, which is an average height for a central defender. He is very good at winning aerial duels (when players jump to head the ball). This is because he can jump high and head the ball well. He has scored several goals from set-pieces like free kicks and corner kicks.

Personal Life

In July 2021, Fikayo Tomori earned a degree in Business Management. He studied through the Open University.

Honours and Awards

Fikayo Tomori has won many awards and trophies throughout his career:

  • Chelsea Youth

* FA Youth Cup: 2015, 2016 * UEFA Youth League: 2015, 2016

  • Chelsea

* FA Cup runner-up: 2020

  • AC Milan

* Serie A: 2022 * Supercoppa Italiana: 2025

  • England U20

* FIFA U-20 World Cup: 2017

  • England U21

* Toulon Tournament: 2018

  • Individual Awards

* UEFA European Under-19 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2016 * Chelsea Academy Player of the Year: 2016 * Derby County Player of the Year: 2019 * Chelsea Goal of the Season: 2020 * Serie A Team of the Year: 2022

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Fikayo Tomori para niños

  • List of England international footballers born outside England
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