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Tammy Abraham on playing and living in Italy: ‘’Back home I was like a closed book’’

In 2021, the English striker Tammy Abraham left his homeland and moved to Italy. Since then, the former Chelsea player has grown as a person but has also had to deal with a horrific ACL injury that kept him out for almost an entire year. In an interview with BBC Sport, the 27-year-old opens up about becoming more adventurous, how he became mentally stronger and what helped him during his recovery.

Tammy Abraham

Since moving to Italy, Abraham has become more of a foodie. ‘’I like to call myself so. I like to try. Ever since coming out here, I think I’ve been more adventurous. Back home I was like a closed book. I didn’t really try things.’’

Before his move to AS Roma in 2021, the striker never played outside of England. This summer, he joined AC Milan on loan. ‘’Milan has been amazing. I think the decision of moving out here was a brave one. You know many people like to move out of their comfort zone and experience new things. My whole life I grew up in London. First, I was privileged enough to move to Rome, obviously now Milan. I just want to look back on my career after I finish and be like: ‘Wow, I really lived in places like Rome and Milan and really embrace the culture.’’’

 

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Een bericht gedeeld door Tammy Abraham (@tammyabraham)

That call from José Mourinho

It was a phone call from then AS Roma manager José Mourinho which convinced him to take this step in his career. ‘’I think I was on the Playstation with my friends and I received a call. I picked up and said ‘Hello?’ ‘Hello Tammy, it’s José.’ You know the way he speaks. ‘Would you want to stay in rainy England or come to sunny Rome?’ I remember just running downstairs and telling my parents and we thought Roma was the best club.’’

‘’José was one of the best coaches I had,’’ says Abraham. In their first season together at Roma, they won the UEFA Conference League. ‘’He was a manager who always believed in what he believed in and I think as a player you feel the energy and you kind of buy into it. I don’t regret one thing, I loved it. It’s been amazing.’’ 

Having been in Italy now for a couple of years, Abraham can say that he’s become mentally stronger. ‘’I think that is one thing that I was lacking a bit when I was younger. How I deal with situations has improved. I did my ACL last season. It was the last game of the season, I had my holidays booked. I was mentally ready to go and let my hair down and just enjoy the summer. And then the injury happened in the last couple of minutes of the game.’’

It was a tough time, but his family helped him get through it. ‘’I had my family I was looking after, my kid as well. I think that kept me going and kept me mentally sharp.’’

 

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Een bericht gedeeld door Tammy Abraham (@tammyabraham)

Being a father has also changed Abraham as a person. ‘’It melts my heart seeing my boy. He can be whoever he wants and do whatever he wants in the world, but just to see him love the ball and playing football from such a young age is always nice to see.’’

Returning to the Premier League?

Abraham still follows the Premier League closely in Italy. ‘’We’re lucky enough that they show every game here. So I do watch a lot of the Premier League every weekend.’’ Whether he will ever return to play in the Premier League remains to be seen. ‘’I think in life, you can never say never. Football has no home, so we will see.’’