England midfielder Eberechi Eze knows his time is now following his summer transfer to Arsenal.
Eze secured an emotional return to the Gunners, where he was released as a 13-year-old, after they snuck in to steal him from the grasp of north London rivals Tottenham, thanks to a last-ditch phone call from Mikel Arteta.
The 27-year-old enjoyed a fanfare unveiling at the Emirates Stadium as he was interviewed by Ian Wright, took a phone call from Thierry Henry and was paraded on the pitch ahead of the 5-0 win over Leeds.
Eze, who started for England in Saturday’s 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Andorra, said: “There’s a lot going on. It’s fun for me. This is why I play football.
“These are opportunities that you want. This is it for me, so I am enjoying it as much as I can.
“I was trying to enjoy it because you have that moment and then that it’s – gone.
“For me, now, I’m just excited to play, excited to do my thing on the pitch, to work hard, apply myself and get to doing what I do.
“There’s been a lot of noise off the pitch but I just want to get down and play.
“It is special and it’s not everyone that gets to experience these types of moments.
“I try to enjoy it and take it in my stride as much as possible because there’s always something that is coming.
Representing at Villa. 🦁 pic.twitter.com/nVfW0iaoAz
— England (@England) September 6, 2025
“There is always another opportunity and challenge coming so that’s how I see (it).”
His next opportunity on the big stage may come against Serbia in a crunch World Cup qualifier in Belgrade on Tuesday.
It will be by far England’s biggest hurdle in their quest to reach North America next summer and will be a far cry from the sterile atmosphere they played in against Andorra.
Eze added: “I’ve never been there. I’m sure it will be a good game, sure it will be a cool game.
🏴 Can England maintain their 100 per cent record?#FIFAWorldCup
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) September 2, 2025
“A lot of energy will be needed to win that game for sure, so we’re looking forward to it.
“I feel like it will be a different challenge from the Andorra game because they’ve got a different skill set.
“They’ve got players who probably want to play a bit more and (are) maybe a bit more aggressive so I don’t know if it will suit us, but I’m sure it will be a good match-up.”
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