Fikayo Tomori has set the target of winning ‘every trophy possible’ while he is an AC Milan player, and wants to finish his career having ‘no regrets’.
Tomori gave an interview to OneFootball as part of a series with FedEx, and he began by talking about his full name Oluwafikayomi Oluwadamilola Fikayo Tomori.
“Yes, that’s my full name. It means God has filled me with joy,” he said.
He was picked up by Chelsea after playing for a team in Kent and then he progressed through the academy of the Blues before breaking into the first team following some time on loan in the Championship.
“I remember when I was younger, I would always think to myself about how people become professional footballers.
“And then a scout from Chelsea came, spoke to my dad at the end of the season and said, ‘I’ve been watching your son and I want him to come to the development centre’.
“I remember my first day at the academy and suddenly, there are kids from all around London who can do the same thing I can. That wasn’t easy for me. I said to my dad when I got in the car, ‘Dad, I’m not sure I can come back’.
“He said, ‘no, no, you’re coming back for sure’. He stressed that I needed to be in a place where I was challenged, where I could improve myself.
“I remember the first time my dad and I went to a Chelsea game because we’d never actually seen a football game live. I can’t remember how old I was, maybe nine or ten. We saw Didier Drogba, who walked past us when he was warming up.
“We just looked at each other and thought, woah, that’s the Drogba we usually see on TV and now we can see him in 3D.”
However, Tomori also admitted that it is not a defender that he idolised when he was young but rather a forward who was a thorn in the side of Chelsea whenever they met Arsenal in the London derby.
“Thierry Henry was my idol when I was playing for my Sunday league team. I always used to have gloves on, and pull my socks over my knees. If he scored a goal on Saturday, I would make sure to repeat the celebration if I scored on Sunday,” he said.
“There was one time when he curled it in the corner and just jogged away casually. So, I remember when I scored a goal, I did the exact same thing.”
That journey from being a startled kid in the Chelsea academy to playing in the first team then went a step further when he made his debut in the biggest European club competition.
“My debut in the Champions League was against Valencia at Stamford Bridge [2019-20 season]. All I could think about was playing well, nothing else.”
“Today I’m playing in the Champions League, this is what I’ve been wanting for however many years. You know it’s so strange, the whole day you kind of build up to it and then the game just goes so fast.”
However, he fell out of favour under Frank Lampard and the decision was made to join Milan on an initial loan deal in the January transfer window two years ago, which eventually became permanent.
“I remember the first call I got from Maldini and he explained straight away that they wanted me. I’d grown up watching iconic Milan teams and players thought: ‘really? AC Milan?’ but once I put on the red and black stripes, it was surreal.
“San Siro as well – it’s like a monument. It’s there, you can see it the whole way as you’re driving past. It feels like it’s leaning towards you.
“And then on a matchday, the fans are there two hours before the game banging on the bus. You can see how excited and how charged they are, you feel the energy from them.
“When you’re preparing in those last few minutes before a game and you hear the whole stadium sing ‘the champions’, it gives you goosebumps every time.
“I remember when I scored against Liverpool and looking back, I have to remind myself that I’ve scored for Milan at San Siro in the Champions League. Those things are crazy to think about. This is what I used to watch people do and now I’m doing it.”
The Englishman also spoke about his dream as a player and what he wants to look back on his career having achieved.
“I think my dream in life – and this might sound a bit cliché – is to not have any regrets. I want to be able to say at the end of it, I did everything I could and in the right way. That I’ve allowed myself to be myself.
“Obviously, a dream is to win the Champions League. To win the World Cup, win the Scudetto again, win every trophy possible that I can with Milan as long as I’m here.”