Ivan Toney #22

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The big surprise in Thomas Tuchel’s squad – to most people at least, but maybe not to the man himself. Having left Brentford for Al-Ahli in 2024 he told the Guardian the following year that the level of football in the Saudi Pro League was “on a par with the Premier League … If Al-Ahli were in the Premier League, we’d be close to the top four. People shouldn’t turn their noses up.” His experience of playing in the heat could have helped him edge out Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Dominic Solanke and Danny Welbeck for a place in this squad. He says critics should “go and try to play in a sauna and see if they can cope.” He missed the 2022 World Cup due to the investigation into breaches of FA betting rules which led to an eight-month ban. “The biggest punishment for me was missing out on the World Cup,” he said in 2023. “I felt like somebody's out to get me to stop me from playing for England. That was the lowest point.” Famed for his no-look penalty technique, including one during a shoot-out in Euro 2024. “I never look at the ball,” he said later. “Some people may see it as crazy. But it is just my routine.”

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