England’s Tammy Abraham went back to his roots by answering questions from south London-based youngsters from the Football Beyond Borders education charity.
The Chelsea man, currently on loan with Swansea City, took time out of his recent training schedule to listen and answer to the video messages sent in for him.
The youngsters had a variety of questions for the striker, who grew up in Camberwell, ranging from his thoughts on his FIFA rating, his favourite goal so far and memories of his Three Lions debut against Germany.
All of the participants are part of the FBB programme, which uses the power of football to help inspire children from disadvantaged backgrounds to achieve their goals.
And after a group of youngsters from south London-based FBB attended Tammy’s senior England debut against Germany at Wembley last November, they weren’t short of questions for their hero in the following days.
Below are a few of Tammy's answers, but you can watch the full video with all of the questions in the media player above.
How was it growing up in south London?
“Growing up in south London was always going to be a challenge and I put myself away from all of the distractions and just kind of focused on football really.
“Even when all of my friends were going out, I just stayed home and stayed grounded and focused on my football.
“It might seem like opportunities are limited but for me, you just have to keep working as hard as you can.”
What’s your favourite pre-match meal?
“[Laughs]…People will think I’m weird after this, but I like to repeat my breakfast so I like to go for a ham and cheese omelette with toast, so one in the morning and one for pre-match as well.”
What was it like to play in front of friends and family at Wembley?
“Wembley…to step onto that pitch, it’s massive, really. I first stepped on it against Tottenham this season but when you step on it for internationals, it’s a different type of feeling really.
“You just walk onto the pitch and see it, it’s so big and with a lot of fans there. As I was coming off the pitch, I spotted them [family] as well so it was just an amazing feeling to see everyone there supporting me. To support me from young to finally see me doing it on the big stage is an amazing feeling.”
What is the best chicken shop in Swansea?
“The best chicken shop in Swansea? I’m not even sure Swansea even has a chicken shop, it’s not like south London where there’s chicken shops everywhere. Moving to London, my favourite chicken shop would have to be Morley’s.”
What tips and advice could you give us young footballers to become as successful as you are?
“Just keep believing in yourself really, even when it feels like you want to give up, just keep going. Try harder than everyone else and hopefully you will get your chance.”
Who is the most inspiring and supportive person in your life and why?
“I would have to say my parents, they’ve been through a lot and they’ve motivated me all the way and they believed in me. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be here today!”
You can find out more on Football Beyond Borders and their work by clicking here.
England are back at Wembley in March when they face Italy on Tuesday 27 March. Tickets for that game are on sale now, so click here for more details.
