Maro Itoje facts for kids
Itoje representing Saracens during the Aviva Premiership
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| Full name | Oghenemaro Miles Itoje | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 28 October 1994 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Camden, London | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 118 kg (260 lb; 18 st 8 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Salcombe Prep School St George's School Harrow School |
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| University | School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Beno Obano (cousin) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Oghenemaro Miles Itoje (born October 28, 1994) is a famous English rugby union player. He plays as a lock for the Premiership Rugby club Saracens. He also captains the England national team.
Maro started his professional rugby journey in 2012. He signed his first contract with Saracens and played his first game the next year. His amazing skills quickly caught the eye of the national team. He was called up to play for England in the 2016 Six Nations Championship.
Maro has won many big titles with Saracens, including five Premiership titles and three European titles. For England, he helped win a Grand Slam and several Triple Crown victories. He has also been part of two British & Irish Lions tours. Maro has been nominated three times for the top award, World Rugby Player of the Year. This shows he is one of the best rugby players in the world.
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Early Life and Education
Maro Itoje was born in Camden, North London. His parents are from Nigeria. He went to Salcombe Preparatory School in Southgate for primary school.
Later, he moved to St George's School in Harpenden. This is where he first started playing rugby at age eleven. Maro says his coach, Stuart Mitchell, was a huge help. He drove Maro to games all over the country. Maro then earned a scholarship to Harrow School, a private school in London.
As a student, Maro played many sports. He played basketball, football, rugby, and athletics. He even represented England in shot put at the U17 level. While starting his rugby career, he also studied politics at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London.
Club Career Highlights
Maro Itoje made his first senior game for Saracens in the 2013–14 season. He was only 19 years old. His first game was against Cardiff Blues in the Anglo-Welsh Cup. He later played his first Aviva Premiership game against Leicester Tigers. Before joining Saracens, he played for Harpenden and Old Albanians.
During his time with Saracens, Maro has helped them win many championships. They won five Premiership titles in 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2023. Maro played in all five of those final games. He also helped Saracens win the European Champions Cup three times: in 2016, 2017, and 2019. In the 2015–16 season, Maro was even named the European Player of the Year.
For the 2024–2025 season, Maro was chosen as the new club captain for Saracens. This happened after Owen Farrell left the team.
International Rugby Journey
Maro Itoje played for England's U18 team. He also captained the England U20 team in the 2013–14 season. He scored a try in every game of the 2014 Six Nations Under 20s Championship. He was named England's best player in that tournament.
In 2014, Maro also helped England win the 2014 IRB Junior World Championship. He was a co-captain for the team during this big event.
Maro was then called up to the England Saxons squad in January 2015. He played his first game for them against Ireland Wolfhounds.
Senior England Team
Maro was chosen for the England training squad for the 2015 Rugby World Cup. On January 13, 2016, new coach Eddie Jones called him up to the senior England team. This was for the 2016 Six Nations Championship. Maro played his first game for the main team against Italy. He was named the best player in the game against Wales in March 2016. England went on to win the Grand Slam that year.
Maro also played a key role when England won against Australia in the summer series. He started all three games. Because of his great performance, he was named the World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year for 2016. In 2017, he helped England defend their Six Nations title. He started all five games as a blindside flanker.
British & Irish Lions Tours
Maro was chosen for the British & Irish Lions team for their 2017 tour of New Zealand. At 22, he was the youngest player on the squad. He was one of the best players on the tour. He scored a try against the Maori All Blacks. He also played in all three test matches against New Zealand. The Lions ended up drawing the series in the final game.
He was selected again for the 2021 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa. The Lions lost this series in a very close final game. Maro was again a top player and was voted the Lions Player of the Series by his teammates. At the end of that year, Maro was nominated for the World Rugby Player of the Year award for the third time.
In January 2025, Maro Itoje was named as England captain for the 2025 Six Nations Championship.
Personal Interests
Maro Itoje is interested in politics and art.
In 2023, Maro started something called The Pearl Fund. This project aims to raise money to help educate children. It focuses on children in Nigeria, Ghana, and other African countries.
How Maro Plays Rugby
Many people describe Maro Itoje as a very hard-working player and a true team leader. He is often called a "star player." He is very quick and agile for a lock forward. This means he can move around the field well. He can make breaks with his speed and win the ball back in the ruck. He is also excellent in the air, whether in the lineout or during open play.
Many believe Maro has no real weaknesses as a rugby player. However, some have said he sometimes gives away too many penalties when fighting for the ball. In 2024, he greatly improved his success at winning turnovers. He won 15 turnovers for England that year. This was three times more than any other player from a top rugby nation. In the same year, he was also first in hitting attacking rucks and defensive rucks.
Rugby Achievements
Saracens
- 5× Premiership winner: 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2023
- 1× Premiership runner-up: 2022
- 1× RFU Championship winner: 2021
- 3× European Rugby Champions Cup winner: 2016, 2017, 2019
- 1× Anglo-Welsh Cup winner: 2015
- 1× Premiership Rugby Shield winner: 2015
England U20
- 1× World Rugby U20 Championship winner: 2014
England National Team
- 3× Six Nations Championship winner: 2016, 2017, 2020
- 1× Grand Slam winner: 2016
- 2× Triple Crown winner: 2016, 2020
- 1× Six Nations Championship runner-up: 2019
- 1× Autumn Nations Cup winner: 2020
- 1× Rugby World Cup runner-up: 2019
- 1× Rugby World Cup third place: 2023
Individual Awards
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See also
In Spanish: Maro Itoje para niños
