Chelsea defender Tosin Adarabioyo has opened that he had a Nigerian upbringing while growing up in London.
Adarabioyo was born in Paddington, London, England on September 24th 1997 to Nigerian parents, and grew up in Manchester.
Despite his Nigerian heritage, He has represented England at the youth level, and he is still eligible to play for the Super Eagles.
Adarabioyo spoke about his Nigerian heritage in an interview with Chelsea official website on Tuesday.
He said: “We’re very much a Nigerian family and it was a Nigerian upbringing, whether that’s the food or traditionally the way we’ve been brought up, which is a bit different to how it would be here,’’ he de
“The food is harder, stuff like pounded yam, stuff that makes you strong!’
Adarabioyo and his two elder brothers, and his mother moved from London to Manchester when he was very young.
He started his professional career with Manchester City making his senior debut in 2016 after coming through the club’s youth ranks.
He became the youngest-ever player to start a UEFA Champions League match for the club before moving to Fulham on a permanent deal in 2020 after previous loan spells at West Brom, and Blackburn Rovers.
Adarabioyo also revealed the secret to making it from academy to becoming an established player.
He said: “I think the most important thing is managing distractions,’ he says, ‘especially when you start football at five and go all the way through.
“You see a lot of boys come in and go out, getting released, and it’s just managing those distractions. There are boys who probably still chill with their home boys who probably aren’t doing the right thing.
“I remember getting to an age, it was probably 13 or 14, and having to make a decision to stay away from that and focus on football. It was mainly keeping my mind straight and not letting any distractions take over me, and remaining focused on what I wanted by not getting carried away by small successes or letting setbacks get to me.”
Adarabioyo joined Chelsea from Fulham in the summer as a free agent, he has scored four goals in 31 appearances for the Blues in all competitions.
Super Eagles coach, Eric Chelle has been monitoring the defender ahead of the World Cup qualifiers in September.
