Face-off: Tammy Abraham - EN
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🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Oh, there we go. Kevin, Ogenetega, Tamaraebi, Bakumo, Abraham. Did I say it right? Marvellous.
00:11Thank you, sir.
00:12You are joining the Italian club with most UCL titles. How does it feel?
00:17It's a dream come true. It's an honour.
00:20Yes!
00:23You have to close your eyes and try to imagine your first goal with AC Milan.
00:30First touch of the ball. Goal. Win the game 1-0.
00:35Tammy Abraham, welcome to AC Milan. Today we're going to have this interview in a particular way.
00:51We'll be playing table football. And when I score, I will ask you an off-the-pitch question.
00:56If you score, and if you manage to score, I will ask you an on-the-pitch question.
01:01You ready?
01:02I'm ready.
01:03Ready to break the ice?
01:04Always ready. Let's go.
01:16There we go. Own goal.
01:18Just looking at your Instagram posts, we see a lot of references to God, to the Bible. What role does religion play in your life?
01:27It's a massive role. I think God, for me, I'm no one without Him. We're no one without Him.
01:33Even before I arrived here, I prayed every day to make sure something could happen for me.
01:40I couldn't be more thankful that I've arrived at such a great club. It's thanks to God.
01:45You know very well how to win Champions League. Right now you're joining the Italian club with the most UCL titles. How does it feel?
02:01It's a dream come true. It's an honour. I grew up as a kid watching this fantastic club with the great legends.
02:09I've played against Milan a few times and I'm so happy to be on their side.
02:25I should know that you're a striker and that's why I should pay attention.
02:29Let's talk about idols. Do you have any idols?
02:34I did. Growing up, my family, my dad at the back, they were big Arsenal fans.
02:39I grew up watching a lot of Arsenal games and Thierry Henry was my idol. He's the one that made me want to be a striker.
02:48Until today, I still copy some of the things he does. There are so many great players like R9, great strikers like Didier Trogba, who I was lucky enough to watch every week.
03:00There have been so many great strikers and it's a privilege. Many of the great strikers have played for this club and it's nice for me to follow in their footsteps.
03:09Besides the football world, do you have any idols? Any inspiration or role model?
03:15I would just say my parents, my mum and dad. They've both inspired me throughout my life.
03:21They've kept me focused. They've kept me and my brother and sister focused on achieving our goals. I thank them for that.
03:29Let's get the ball. Let's go. Rolling again.
03:49I see a long one. It's something about family. Because you're off the pitch, life has definitely changed since you became a dad.
03:57What kind of father do you want to be for Amaury and what's the best thing you'd love to hear from him regarding you when he'll be an adult?
04:06The most important thing for me as a father is just to be there for him, to show up for him, to help him, to hopefully guide him to becoming a man that he will become.
04:20I'm always here to support his dreams. I'll be the same with him, whatever he wants to be. Hopefully a footballer and hopefully a striker too.
04:31Whatever he wants to be in life, I'll always be there to support him and watch him grow from young to old.
04:38Talking about your girlfriend Lia, we know that you've known each other for a long time. It's been a long way. You're a footballer, you've moved to other clubs.
04:48What do you appreciate about her in your life?
04:51I couldn't speak for hours, but she's a girl who's always been with friends before we became partners.
04:59She's always been there through the good and through the bad times. Through moving from a boy to a man, she's been there to support me.
05:07She's always had my back. She's always given me wise words. She's a wonderful mother.
05:12I thank her for being with me as my career has gone on. We're all excited to see this next chapter in my life.
05:29Let's talk about something that we were talking about also before.
05:32What can you tell us about the relationship you have with your family and with your brother Timmy, who's a striker too?
05:39Did they immediately, your parents, agree with your strong will to become a footballer?
05:44I think they figured out when we broke every equipment in the house.
05:49Every day, me and my brother, we were kicking balls against the wall, against the lights. We broke many lights.
05:55From then, I think they knew what we wanted to be. It took my brother a little while.
06:01I started from young, but my brother was interested in cars and different things.
06:06Eventually, he started to like football. We were a football household. Every weekend, we were watching football together.
06:12From there, even my sister, she probably watches more football than me now.
06:17It's nice for everyone to be together and to love one thing.
06:30You told me he wasn't good at this game.
06:32Can we check the goal? I'm not sure it counts.
06:35What's wrong with that?
06:37What did you notice?
06:39Something happened to my defender.
06:41Oh, okay. We can check?
06:43We may have to check.
06:46You as a boy, what kind of boy were you when you were a child and in what aspects do you feel more mature right now?
06:56I think as a boy, I was always motivated. That's one thing I can say about myself.
07:00I knew what I wanted to do. I knew what I wanted to be.
07:04I believed in myself ever since.
07:07That's one thing. If I could go back and talk to my younger self, I would say,
07:10well done. Throughout your whole life, you always believed in yourself.
07:15Even when people stopped believing in you, you believed in you.
07:19I wouldn't say quiet. I love to talk. I love to make jokes with people and have fun.
07:28I feel like life is about having fun and life is to live.
07:32For me, I was always someone who liked to live life.
07:37Now, I'm still the same. I'm just a little older.
07:40I always want to have fun in life. I always want to be happy and do the thing I love the most.
07:51Oh, no.
07:52There we go.
07:53We will talk about Fittomori.
07:55What should you tell us that we don't know about Oluwafika'i, Oluwadamilola Tomori?
08:01Good pronunciation. Fittomori is another one I can speak for hours on.
08:06I've known him since the age of six years old.
08:09We've grown up together. We've experienced many different things in life together.
08:12We've watched each other grow up.
08:15We've always been there. Our families have always been close.
08:18Just to see each other grow up and break into the first team
08:22and play in the Premier League and both come to Serie A and now play for the same club.
08:30It's a dream. Just to see how we've grown.
08:34Again, you stay long.
08:40We will be here for hours.
08:48There we go.
08:50My turn again.
08:52We were talking about pronunciation before.
08:55I made it again.
09:01Did I say it right?
09:03Marvellous.
09:04Thank you, sir.
09:06You have Nigerian origins, of course, like Fikayo Tomori has.
09:11Have you ever had the chance to discover more about that and also to visit Nigeria?
09:16I have. I have a few friends.
09:17Almost a lot of my friends are Nigerian.
09:22It's nice to share the culture.
09:23I grew up in an area where there were a lot of Nigerians.
09:27I grew up with the culture.
09:29I've been back there a few times when I was younger.
09:32It'll be nice to visit again soon.
09:34My mum's always making Nigerian food.
09:37It's nice to catch up and listen to the music and just enjoy your culture.
09:42Let's go.
09:43You still have a chance.
09:47Let's go.
09:57Finally.
09:58You have already played, of course, at the San Siro.
10:01What kind of feeling did you have when you played there?
10:04And you also scored twice at the San Siro against AC Milan.
10:09It's a stadium.
10:11You have goosebumps when you walk out of the tunnel.
10:13You hear the music, you hear the fans.
10:15You look around you and it's...
10:18Like I said, it's just goosebumps.
10:20I grew up as a kid watching so many great players play at the stadium.
10:24To play there, to score there, was a beautiful feeling.
10:27And now it's time to score for this great club.
10:31You had to close your eyes and try to imagine your first goal with AC Milan.
10:37Can you describe it to us?
10:42Let your imagination go.
10:45If I had to say a first goal which would send everyone crazy,
10:51I think it would be in the derby game against Inter.
10:57First touch of the ball.
10:59Goal.
11:00Win the game 1-0.
11:03Then I party with the fans after.
11:06And that's probably the dream for me.
11:09To win the derby and to score.
11:11The last question I have is something that had an impact in your life.
11:16Because anytime you look at that scar on your knee, what do you think?
11:21I think in life people go through many different situations.
11:25Mine was my injury.
11:26Some people go through different struggles and it can affect them differently.
11:31For me, it was hard.
11:34I would be lying if I said it wasn't hard.
11:36I cried so many times.
11:39The pain.
11:42Thinking how long you could be out of the game for.
11:44Sitting down, watching games.
11:47You cannot do anything about it.
11:49But a lot that helped me was my son.
11:52I got to be at home with him.
11:54I got to watch him grow up.
11:56I kept doing it for him.
11:58I told myself I have to do it for him.
12:02I have to be back.
12:03I have to come back stronger.
12:05I have to show the world that I'm back.
12:07That I'm better.
12:09I'm so happy I had this opportunity for this great club.
12:11To show myself.
12:13To show everyone that injuries and trauma cannot keep me down.
12:17I'll come back up.
12:18You're back and you're with us.
12:21You're welcome.