Chelsea football star, Tosin Adarabioyo, has described his first-ever visit to Nigeria as a powerful reconnection with his roots, saying he felt an immediate sense of belonging upon arrival.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE NEWS on Wednesday, Adarabioyo described his touchdown in Nigeria saying, “As soon as you touch down and you step off the plane, you automatically feel that calmness, that you’re at home, you breathe the air, you just feel, it felt very special.”
He continued, “It’s my first time in Nigeria, so it’s been a very nice time. Warm welcome from everybody as soon as I landed, I had a very nice, very nice welcome. I’m experiencing everything for the first time here with my family, with my two brothers, first time being in Nigeria,” he said.
The Chelsea centre-back, who joined the London club this summer from Fulham, when asked about potentially playing for the Super Eagles, replied, “It’s something I still think about. We’ll see in the near future, hopefully, and I’ll start to make a decision… It’s just something that has obviously been a topic for many years now since I’ve become a professional footballer. But again, like I said, we’ll see.”
Adarabioyo then spoke confidently about his move to Chelsea. “When you sign for Chelsea, automatically you know this club is there to win everything. You go to the training ground, you see pictures of all the different trophies that have been won in the past and you automatically have that expectation and that pressure to know that this year we have to win something, we have to be the next picture on the wall to lift the trophy.
This season we managed to win two trophies, the Conference League and the Club World Cup. We’re now there in history on the walls, all over Stamford Bridge, all over the training ground. We’ve created history this year with the Club World Cup being the first of its type to win it,” he said.
Adarabioyo, born in London to Nigerian parents, then revealed that he will be holding a youth tournament in Lagos on Wednesday, the Adarabioyo Youth Cup, as a form of giving back and encouraging yound Nigerian football players, saying, said the Lagos tournament was inspired by his desire to give back and connect with young footballers in his country of heritage. “Today on the court stadium, we’re going to be holding a youth tournament today at 4pm. So if anyone can be there, that would be fantastic. I’d love to meet all the fans and all the children there today.”
The tournament, which kicks off today, will see young players from across Lagos showcase their skills in front of scouts, coaches, and the Chelsea star himself.
When asked about his experience with racism as a Black footballer in Europe, Adarabioyo said, “It’s still there every now and again. But as players, you deal with those things and you just focus on the football.”
Ozioma Samuel-Ugwuezi
Follow us on:
