Intelligent Chelsea youth team star provides photo evidence his grandfather represented Nigeria

Published: March 08, 2022

Chelsea's first year scholar Tudor Mendel-Idowu has revealed that he comes from a footballing family, with his grandfather on his mother's side playing internationally for Nigeria's senior national team.

Mendel-Idowu is regarded as one of the brightest students in the United Kingdom as he is a King's Scholar at Eton College, where Prince William and Harry attended.

At the age of eight, he participated in the British reality competition, Child Genius of the Year 2014, finishing in second place.

An attacking midfielder or winger by trade, Mendel-Idowu has played non-binding games for England at U15 and U17 levels and would be following in the footsteps of his grandad, John Adeleye-Abai if he represents the Super Eagles in future.

His family is guiding him through football and academia and he also has ambitions of becoming a first team player at Chelsea.

Speaking recently to fifa.com, Mendel-Idowu said : "There’s quite a bit of talent that runs through the family, but I'll just take two specific examples.

"My grandfather on my mother’s side played internationally for his country, Nigeria. I actually have a photo at home of him with Pele at a game (John Adeleye-Abai is on Pele's left), which I always found inspirational.

"On my father's side, my grandfather Dr Fola Kayode Mendel-Idowu was a gifted academic. He specialised in bio-aeronautics, and as a pretty cool fact, he was Africa's first flying doctor.

"So, my parents have always said I am a sort of fusion of these two extraordinary individuals. "

Mendel-Idowu has been described by Chelsea's official website as a left-footed attacking player who can play out wide or through the middle.

On the position his grandfather played, he answered : "I’d regard myself as a number 10 or a right winger. He was a winger as well, but perhaps less in the modern sense of the word.

"Today it's about playing on the wing opposite to your strongest foot. So, you're driving and cutting in to score. My grandfather was more of a crossing, up-and-down-the-flanks style winger. "

This season, the 17-year-old Mendel-Idowu has scored five goals in all competitions for Chelsea U18s including goals against Arsenal and Liverpool.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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