By Wale Mustapha
Nigerian-born defender Tosin Adarabioyo has played down talk about his age within Chelsea’s youthful squad, insisting that at 28, he is entering the prime years of his career.
Adarabioyo became the first player aged 28 or over to feature under manager Enzo Maresca, coming off the bench in the Blues’ 3–0 Premier League victory over Nottingham Forest last weekend.
With the average age of Chelsea’s starting XI in that game just 23 years and 345 days, the centre-back was asked about being the oldest outfield player in the team — a label he quickly dismissed.
“I wouldn’t call myself an old player at 28,” Adarabioyo said in a post-match press conference following Chelsea’s 5–1 UEFA Champions League win over Ajax at Stamford Bridge.
“I’m the eldest here, but I feel 28 years of age — not old at all. It’s a great age, and I’ve still got a long way to go in the game. Twenty-eight is a great age to start kicking on and doing great things.”
The former Manchester City and Fulham defender joined Chelsea during the summer and has steadily integrated into Maresca’s system, providing experience and composure in a backline filled with emerging talents.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
