Ivan Toney never gave up on reaching the World Cup, despite even Thomas Tuchel writing him off. Toney was the biggest headline when England boss Tuchel picked his 26-man squad for the tournament. The striker had been written off after moving to the Saudi Pro League, after his appearance as a last-minute substitute against Senegal a year ago, and because Tuchel did not like his attitude in training.
However, in huge credit to Toney, the more people write him off, the more he sets out to prove them wrong. That is exactly what he did by making the plane to the United States this summer. Al-Ahli striker Toney, 30, said: 'There was a lot of talk by people saying I'd gone out to Saudi and it has ruined my chances of being in the mix, but I don't listen to outside noise. When everybody was writing me off that I wasn't gonna be involved in the England picture and you have that spiritual feeling you can turn things round.'
Toney's Journey of Resilience
Toney says he has a 'swagger' because of an unshakable belief that has carried him from starting out at Northampton Town, loan spells at Barnsley, Shrewsbury, and Wigan, before really catching the eye at Peterborough. There he scored the goals that got him a move to Brentford, and proving himself in the Premier League took him to the last Euros, where he was a supersub and a huge asset with his 'no-look' penalties in shoot-outs, leading to a big move to the Saudi Pro League.
That looked to have ended his England chances, as the coaching staff did not go to see him, and Tuchel was open about not liking Toney's attitude in training or around the camp in June 2025 for the qualifier in Andorra and friendly against Senegal. Tuchel said he had to 'clear the air' with Toney earlier this year before recalling him, as none of the other call-ups—Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Dom Solanke—took their chance in March.
Self-Belief and Determination
Toney speaks with an admirable confidence that some might describe as arrogance, but you need that to make it like he has done, even if he admits he has often had to take a step back to go forward. 'Oh I've definitely done that plenty of times—Barnsley, Shrewsbury, Wigan, Scunthorpe, Peterborough, Northampton, everywhere,' Toney told ITV. 'It's given self-belief, resilience, an edge. I think it was always in your mind, you know, you watch the World Cup and think I wanna be involved in that. If you manifest it, you always have a big chance of doing it. That's everything in life.'
'I think my head space, like the coach said, we spoke, we cleared the air, we cleared things, and I'm in a lot better head space than I was back then. I'm a lot more confident and I feel like I do belong here. I am prepared to help the team in any situation. Whenever I step onto the pitch, I have the belief that I can make something happen. Belief, you have to have an aura, swagger has to be there, in life not just in football. Be fearless.'
Ready for the World Cup
Toney says he is a better player now than at the last Euros and also goes into the World Cup under no illusion that he is likely to be a 'finisher' rather than a starter. He will be the player needed to come and win games. When asked if he is a better player now after going to Saudi, Toney added: 'Yes for sure, my numbers speak for themselves. In the league 32, 33 in total? 42, 42 not too bad, ah not too bad. I'm grateful to represent my country, you know, and if the coach wants me to be a finisher, then finisher it is. That's what I'm here to do, win the game and help the team.'
