Ivan Toney never gave up on qualifying for the World Cup, despite being abandoned by manager Thomas Tuchel.
When England manager Tuchel selected the 26-man squad for this tournament, Toney made the biggest headlines and became the topic of conversation. This was a striker who went to the Saudi Pro League and then was released. He was dropped after making a last-minute appearance for England against Senegal a year ago. He was then sacked because Tuchel didn’t like his attitude in training.
However, Tony’s accomplishments are great, and the more people ignore him, the more he strives to prove them wrong. And that’s exactly what he did this summer by building a plane to the United States.
Al Ahly striker Tony, 30, said: “There were a lot of rumors about me going to Saudi Arabia and that ruined my chances of playing, but I don’t listen to the noise outside. Having that mentality can turn things around when everyone was criticizing me for not being involved in the England team.”
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Tony credits his “arrogance” to his unwavering belief in starting his career at Northampton Town, going through loan spells at Barnsley, Shrewsbury and Wigan before really gaining attention at Peterborough.
His goal there earned him a move to Brentford, where he proved himself in the Premier League and played in the final Euros, where he played as a super sub and was a huge asset with a ‘no-look’ penalty in the shootout, before making a big move to the Saudi Pro League.
This appeared to be the end of Toney’s chances in England, as the coaching staff did not visit him and Tuchel publicly said he did not like Toney’s behavior during training and camp ahead of the Andorra qualifier and friendly against Senegal in June 2025.
Tuchel said he needed to “clear the air” with Toney before recalling him earlier this year after none of the other players called up in March (Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Dom Solanke) got a chance.
Tony speaks with an admirable confidence that borders on arrogance, which is necessary to speak like him. Even though he admits he often had to take a step back in order to move forward.
Will Tony get the chance to write his name in World Cup history? (Image: 2026 FIFA)
“Oh, I’ve definitely done it over and over again. Barnsley, Shrewsbury, Wigan, Scunthorpe, Peterborough, Northampton, everywhere,” Tony told ITV. “It gives you belief in yourself, resilience and edge.
“I think watching the World Cup, it was always in my mind that I wanted to be a part of it too. If you express that, you always get a big chance. That’s what life is all about.”
“I think I got the head space, like coach said. We talked, we cleared the air, we cleared things up. And the head space is a lot better than it was back then. I’m a lot more confident and I feel like I belong here.”
Toney is ready to play a big role for England this summer
“I am ready to help the team in any situation. Every time I step on the pitch, I have the belief that I can achieve something. Not only in football, but in life, you have to have faith, an aura, you have to have swagger. Be fearless.”
“I think being young right now, I’m kind of enjoying it. There’s actually a lot of hunger in me and a lot of things that I can bring to the team.”
Toney also said he went into the World Cup with the illusion that he was a better player now than he was at the last Euros and was likely to be a “finisher” rather than a starter. He’s going to be the player we need to win the game.
When asked if he’s become a better player since going to Saudi, Toney added, “Yes, certainly, my numbers speak for themselves. In the league, totals of 32, 33? 42, 42 isn’t bad, oh, not bad.”
“I’m grateful to be able to represent my country and if the coach wants me to be a finisher then I should be a finisher. That’s why I’m here to win games and help the team.”
Ivan Toney feature on ITV as part of England v Costa Rica coverage
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