Dominic Solanke he returned to the ranksEngland after almost seven years of absence. The center forward landed at Tottenham in the summer after a complicated start and the buzz of the fans managed to silence doubts about him and in the space of 604 minutes played he found 3 goals and 2 assists in all the competitions played. This led to the call up to the national team which can only make him satisfied, as revealed in the interview given to the official channels of the English Football Federation.
First words: “Making my senior debut for England is something I will never forget. I think it’s every boy’s dream. Not just becoming a footballer, but representing your country is another level. Especially against Brazil, in home, at Wembley. It doesn’t get any better. It’s definitely one of the best moments of my career.”
He has played for England at all youth levels. How do you evaluate your journey from Under 16 to the senior national team?
“When I think about my early years at England’s youth team and the European Under-17 Championship (2014) that we won, it was a great memory. I’ll never forget it. It was one of the best moments of my youth career, without a doubt. I was in Malta with a lot of my friends from the England team. I was still doing my GCSEs at the time, so I was still studying while I was away at the tournament, and that’s a fun memory and winning at that age gives you the motivation to win even more in your career. I won the title of top scorer of the tournament, together with a player from the Dutch national team (Jari Schuurman), with whom we played the final. From there, we continued to win many things and get there far in many tournaments.”
You scored 9 goals in 18 appearances for England Under-21s between 2015 and 2019. How much did you enjoy playing at that level?
“I’ve really enjoyed playing for England across all age groups, especially in the Under-21s when you get a bit closer to the seniors, you know you’re one step away. It’s very nice to represent your country, especially at that age. With the Under 21s I wasn’t able to win anything. We had a great team and a lot of kids stayed with the team across all age groups. Many of them are still my dear friends. I have wonderful memories when I played for the Under 21s.”
He signed for Spurs from Bournemouth in the summer, having previously played for Chelsea, Vitesse (on loan) and Liverpool. How do you rate your career at the club to date?
“I had a good journey in football. Everyone’s path is different and I wouldn’t change it. I’ve had many ups and many downs, but I believe this has made me who I am today on and off the pitch. I am grateful for everything and hope to continue to be fit. I’m improving all the time and I feel like I’m full of confidence at the moment. I feel like my game has improved a lot and that I’m at that point in my career where everything is starting to go well.”