Rio Ngumoha made his senior England debut in a friendly against New Zealand on Saturday, and the 17-year-old has opened up on the unexpected phone call that led to him joining the Three Lions squad
Richard Garnett
14:20, 09 Jun 2026Updated 14:24, 09 Jun 2026
Rio Ngumoha made his England debut at the weekend
Rio Ngumoha made his England debut at the weekend(Image: Getty Images)
Rio Ngumoha has confessed it was a "crazy feeling" to earn his England debut against New Zealand on Saturday, while lavishing praise on his senior teammates for making him feel welcome from the outset.
Ngumoha has been in Florida with the England squad ahead of the World Cup, which starts on Thursday. His inclusion in the traveling party alongside three other youngsters was to assist Thomas Tuchel's players in their preparations before the tournament starts.
The 17-year-old Liverpool star was handed his senior international bow after entering the fray at half-time against the Kiwis, becoming the fifth-youngest player ever to pull on an England shirt. Yet he won't be added to the full 26-man World Cup squad if there are any last-minute injuries after being omitted from Tuchel's provisional squad list.
Ngumoha more than justified his selection, dazzling onlookers and defenders alike with a succession of fearless runs and thrilling play.
His display earned him the player of the match accolade, and afterward Ngumoha was unable to conceal his delight. 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.
Ngumoha is one of Liverpool's brightest talents
Ngumoha is one of Liverpool's brightest talents(Image: Getty Images)
"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."
Following his international debut at just 17 years and 281 days old, the former Chelsea academy talent is appreciative of the chance he's been given and the reception he's experienced, all stemming from an unexpected telephone conversation.
"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-camp,'" 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.
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"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."