The life of England star Eberechi Eze, from growing up in the ‘not so nice side’ of London to getting married at 23

On the plane to Germany, as part of England’s Euro 2024 squad, was Eberechi Eze. The Crystal Palace midfielder has quickly established himself as one of the most highly regarded players in the Premier League.

The Londoner, who is also called Ebere, has scored 11 goals and assisted four in 27 appearances this season, leading to a call-up to Gareth Southgate’s national team. The 25-year-old grew up in Greenwich in flats near Old Greenwich Hospital and although it wasn’t the easiest of childhoods, it helped shape him into the footballer he is today.

In an interview with the Independent in 2020, Eze said: “There are the beautiful parts (of Greenwich) and the not so beautiful parts. I grew up in a not so nice part. It wasn’t the easiest life and you didn’t have as much as other kids around you.

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“The first place I went after school was to the cage. We would sit there until our parents called us, without eating, playing all day and night. There was nothing else to do. But that’s where the love comes from (at the time), you don’t realize you’re actually learning the trade.”

Growing up playing cage football clearly affected Eze’s two brothers as well. His older brother Ikechi plays semi-professional football for Aveley FC in Essex, while younger brother Chimaechi is at the Crystal Palace Academy.

After unsuccessful trials at Bristol City, Norwich, Swansea and Sunderland, Eberechi played for London sides during his youth while attending a local school. This included a spell at Millwall.

He was also a player for Arsenal, Fulham and Reading as a child. Queen’s Park Rangers (QPR) then gave him a one-year contract as a senior player in 2016. Then came a successful loan spell at Wycombe in League Two in the first half of the 2017–18 season. On his return to QPR, Eze turned several heads.

Career-making move

A £19.5m move to Palace followed in 2020. England came calling the following year as Eze was due to play for the Three Lions in 2021 during the tour postponed due to Covid-19.

But he did not participate after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon in training. The team, of course, fell painfully short and were beaten by Italy in the final.

A stunning mural of Eze, painted by street artists MurWalls, appeared on the wall of a rubbish shed on the Kirby Estate in Bermondsey this week. This is alongside an existing artwork of England women’s striker Fran Kirby.

Eze is believed to serve as an impact substitute in Germany as Southgate looks for more energy and creativity from the bench. But some say he will be a breakout star at the tournament, showing the world the immense talent England fans already know him to be.

Private life with his wife

Eze married his long-time girlfriend Izuthe Mulatto in 2022 when he was just 23 years old and they enjoy a quiet private life together. Confirming their marriage in May 2022, Eze posted a photo of them together on their special day on Instagram with the caption, “Love is patient, love is kind.”

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