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Fikayo Tomori believes that joining AC Milan was the right move for his career, and shed light on some of the characters he has worked with.
Tomori joined Milan on an initial loan deal from Chelsea midway through the 2020-21 season, which was made permanent the following summer. That means he is now one of the elder statesmen in the current squad given the amount of player turnover over the years.
This season, the Englishman looks to be very much back to his best form in a red and black shirt. The right-sided centre-back role in the three-man defence looks perfectly suited to him, and alongside Matteo Gabbia and Strahinja Pavlovic he is one of the first names on Massimiliano Allegri’s team sheet.
Tomori on Maldini, Modric, Ibrahimovic and Milan
There is even talk of a renewal being imminent as a reward for his performances. In the meantime, Tomori was a guest on the Filthy Fellas podcast and he discussed various topics, from a potential England call-up to choosing Milan and some of the players he has played alongside.
Could you get back into the national team?
“I spoke to Tomas Tuchel over the summer to find out about my chances of returning to the national team, and he told me, ‘You’re almost there, keep going.’ If I’m not mistaken, he came to watch a derby, the one we drew.
“I know they follow us. Ruben was recently called up. It’s obvious that the games in England are followed much more, because it’s also easier for them to attend. But no, I don’t think I won’t be called up just because I’m in Italy, I just have to keep going.”
What was it like when you joined Milan?
“I always knew I’d play abroad, I don’t know why. So when AC Milan came along, it didn’t bother me to leave. I mean, it’s AC Milan. Was it the best choice I could have made? Of course. It wasn’t difficult to move, it was the Covid period, but other than that, it was easy.
“Did I think I’d stay beyond the first six-month loan? In 2020, I think I played something like five games and thought, ‘Okay, I have to get back to playing.’ When I started playing, I immediately understood how Italians experience football.
“If you play well, they treat you like the best they’ve ever seen, like the king of the world. I reached that status and I was really happy, so I didn’t think about the future: whatever happened, it would be fine.
“So around March/April, Maldini and Massara came to me and asked if I wanted to stay. A few minutes later, my agent contacted me and said that if that was my decision, everything was already done: they would buy me out.”
What was it like playing against Cristian Ronaldo?
“Ronaldo was playing for Juventus at the time, and I thought, ‘I can’t let him score today.’ And somehow I wasn’t under any pressure. He scored so many goals that if he had scored, no one would have noticed that he scored against me.
“I couldn’t let him touch the ball before me. If he got there first, it was done. In Italy, however, they defend differently. There would have been not that many one-on-one situations because there would have been two of us on him.”
What is Zlatan Ibrahimovic like? What did you learn from him?
“Ibra is the most competitive person I’ve ever met in my life, in everything. When we played with the youth team, he always wanted the ball to be perfectly fed to his feet, otherwise poor them. In 5-on-5 games, he wouldn’t accept losing; we could keep playing until his team won, otherwise he’d come back into the locker room furious and cause a ruckus.
“Is his mentality contagious? Yes, of course. You never want to be the one who gives him the ball badly, you give it to him the way he likes and stay calm. He doesn’t let you stop, he doesn’t let you take it easy.
“Even in the last game of the season, where we were leading 3-0 at half-time, he came back into the locker room and made us understand that it wasn’t over. Even now in his new role, he’s always competitive.
Where does he sit in the ranking of players you’ve played with?
“At the top. When I met him, he was already 39 years old, yet he was still incredibly strong. Imagine when he was 25, 26.”
Who are the top three players you’ve played with at Milan?
“I’d definitely put Modric in this top 3. When he arrived, no one knew what to expect, but after the first training session we already knew everything. Someone in the dressing room that day asked him if he’d ever lost the ball. The answer was obviously no. It’s incredible, but we’re talking about a Ballon d’Or winner, that’s the level.
“Then I’d put Reijnders. When I watch City, he’s always in the right position to score, but sometimes the ball doesn’t reach him. When he was at Milan, he was having fun, too strong in tight spaces.
“Then there’s Theo; when he and Rafa started down the left, there was little they could do. Theo wasn’t one to sprint without the ball, but with it at his feet, he became incredibly fast.”
What about Rafael Leao?
“He could easily win the Ballon d’Or. He’s tall, he’s strong, he’s quick, he knows how to dribble. He has everything it takes to be one of the best.”
What is the pressure like of playing for a club like Milan?
“The fans have high expectations of us. They’ve seen Maldini, Nesta, Stam, Kaka, etc. They’ve seen all these great players play. They’ve seen great defenders in my position, that’s their standard. They expect that in every match.”
How do they react when you play badly?
“I remember once, I was in a cafe with my mum and a guy passed by, he noticed me and said, ‘Fik, please,’ like, ‘Stay focused’.”
What was that call like with Paolo Maldini?
“My agent told me they were going to call me on Zoom, but I wasn’t expecting him. When he called, I realised who I was talking to. I couldn’t believe it, and when the call ended, I was shocked.”
What are the European nights like?
“I’ve played against English teams and scored against Liverpool, but we lost. We beat Newcastle and Tottenham. When I play against them, it’s normal to think that people are watching you and want to show them what you’re capable of. Everyone is always excited to play against an English team.”
Is there a team you’d like to play against?
“Barcelona. Yamal is very strong. I’d also like to play against PSG. I spoke to Musah, who now plays for Atalanta. This year they faced them in the Champions League, and he told me they’re the strongest team he’s ever played against, and will ever play against.”
You won the league in 2021-22…
“Winning Serie A was incredible, especially because no one was predicting we were favourites. We knew we’d win, but when they asked us, we always replied that we were watching game by game and didn’t think about it.
“I remember the last game, we were playing away, and they asked me how many tickets I needed for the match. They told me to hurry because the Sassuolo website was already crashing: the fans were buying all the tickets.
“There are four stands: one was for the home fans, the other was for Milan fans only. When we arrived at the stadium, two hours early, it was already full. At the final whistle, everyone invaded the pitch; it was crazy, they were hugging and kissing us. Incredible, not to mention the parade in the city.”
What are the differences between Serie A and the Premier League?
“I spoke to Malick Thiaw, who now plays for Newcastle, and he told me that all teams in England always want to win. In Serie A, it’s different. For example, if Pisa comes to San Siro, they play to avoid losing. If Sunderland goes to play Arsenal in London, they want to win.”
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