Rio Ngumoha made quite the impression on his unexpected England debut against New Zealand ahead of the World Cup
Rio Ngumoha (centre) has already made his England international senior debut at the age of 17
Rio Ngumoha (centre) has already made his England international senior debut at the age of 17(Image: Photo by Eddie Keogh - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
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Liverpool teenager Rio Ngumoha has admitted that it was a 'crazy feeling' to make his England debut against New Zealand on Saturday - but heaped praise on his senior tea-mmates for making him feel at home right away.
Ngumoha has been in Florida with the Three Lions squad ahead of the World Cup, which gets underway on Thursday. His inclusion in the travelling party alongside three other youngsters was primarily to help Thomas Thuchel's squad prepare for when the real business gets underway.
But the 17-year-old was handed his senior international debut after coming on at half-time against the Kiwis, becoming the fifth-youngest player ever to represent England.
The Liverpool winger did not disappoint either, dazzling spectators and defenders with a string of fearless dribbles and exciting play.
His performance earned him player of the match and afterwards Ngumoha could hardly hide his joy. He told England's official app: “I’ll say it was a crazy feeling.
“I was happy, I was buzzing. I knew from when we had the meeting before that it was a first-half team and a second-half team, so I was preparing.
“It’s good that I didn’t have much time to think about it, but I wasn’t too nervous, to be fair. I just wanted to play and just show everyone what I could do. And yeah, I just had fun.”
Ngumoha, who has been subject to reported interest from Bayern Munich, is not part of the 26-man squad that will represent the Three Lions in the tournament.
But after making his international bow at the age of 17 years and 281 days, the former Chelsea academy prodigy is grateful for the opportunity he has been afforded and the welcome he has received, which all came about following a phone call that came out of the blue.
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“I was just at home and then I got a call from John [McDermott, FA director of football] and he just said, ‘How are you? Would you like to be part of the training squad in Miami, to help the pre-cam'," Ngumoha added.
“And I just said, ‘Yeah, of course.’ I came out here with an open mind, like when you get a call saying that you could be training with the World Cup squad as a young kid or just as anyone really, you would never turn down the opportunity.
“I knew what my role was, to come out here just to help the other players train, but also to show what I can do as well, but it’s been great.
“On the pitch, obviously, you’re training with the best players in the world so you learn every day and you see how good everyone is and how top, top class they are. On the ball, everyone’s sharp, everyone knows how to play, everyone just combines and clicks well together.
“And then off the pitch as well, everyone’s very humble and no-one’s over the top. Like everyone’s so nice, everyone’s so chill and no-one’s judgmental or anything.
“I think everyone forgets that footballers are just normal people, and everyone interacts well with each other and everyone’s been so nice and friendly.”