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Thomas Tuchel, the manager of the England men’s national team, made several controversial choices when selecting his squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, however there’s one that should stand out to Canadian soccer fans.
Fikayo Tomori, a centre back currently playing for AC Milan in Italy, did not make Tuchel’s 26-man squad for this summer’s tournament – a move that should sting both the defender and supporters of Les Rouges.
While Tomori has been a member of England’s national team setup since 2016, he was born in Calgary and played three games for Canada’s U20 squad before switching allegiances.
Tomori was born in the Albertan city in 1997 to Nigerian parents, but moved to England before his first birthday. Due to this unique heritage, he had the option to represent either Canada, Nigeria or England on the international stage, but ultimately choose the Three Lions.
Now, after receiving just six caps since his senior squad debut in 2019, he could be regretting his choice to not stick with Canada.
The Canadian men’s national team is short on centre backs heading into the World Cup with Moise Bombito struggling to return to fitness after suffering a broken tibia in December. Tomori would’ve been a lock to start for Canada had he committed to national team.
What were England’s most questionable choices?
While Tomori was a solid candidate to make England’s squad – he appeared in 32 of 38 games for the Italian giants this season – there were other far more questionable omissions.
Chelsea’s Cole Palmer is perhaps the most notable absence from the roster, while Phil Foden, Morgan Gibbs-White, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Harry Maguire and Lewis Hall are seen as big snubs.
Instead, Tuchel opted to select for the World Cup the likes of Jordan Henderson, Noni Madueke, Dan Burn, Jarell Quansah and Ivan Toney, who are seen by many as inferior players to the first group.
Several English fans posted images of potential lineups filled with names of stars who have been left at home.
Others shared posts comparing stats of the players who will make the trip overseas to the superior numbers of those who will be cheering at home.
But how good was that England release video?
While there are many doubts about the squad that Tuchel named, you have to give credit to the team who produced the video for social media.
The stunning clip is inspired by legendary British rock and roll band The Beatles, who famously “invaded” America in the 1960s.
The video, which already has racked up more than 10 million views since being posted on Friday morning, features the hit song Come Together and shows imagery associated with the band while incorporating the players’ names and faces.