England star Eberechi Eze has been speaking to FourFourTwo about his favourite World Cup memories ahead of the tournament beginning.
World Cup 2026 kicks off tomorrow with England's first game coming next week – with Eze and his Arsenal team-mates Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and Noni Madueke linking up with the Three Lions slightly later than usual, following the Champions League final.
Now, the New Balance athlete tells us his favourite players from tournaments past, ahead of making his bow in North America.
England's Eberechi Eze: 'My first World Cup was in 2006'
“I would say the first one I remember is 2006,” Eze tells FourFourTwo now.
“Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldinho: I think those two are the main guys that come to mind. They've been people that I've looked up to for a long time.
“Even now, I still watch their YouTube videos, so I get so much joy, inspiration watching them play and the feeling that they brought to so many.”
FourFourTwo notes the similarity between Eze himself and the two players he just mentioned – as all three are free-roaming playmakers capable of lifting crowds with their creativity and invention.
“That's a massive compliment,” Eze smiles. “I feel like that's something that, yeah, I'd love to be able to resemble.
“Those are people that have inspired me from young, so of course you take things from them, you learn things from them: how they walk, how they operate on the pitch, how they smile with every action.
“I feel like they're special characters who have definitely helped shape me.”
New Balance sits at the intersection of sport and culture, and with the Boston-based brand looking forward to a home World Cup, Eze himself also told us about this special collaboration.
“Yeah, I'd say it's very fitting with my story, my journey, where I've come from,” he says. “I just think that we were very aligned from the start.
“From the picture that they had of me, the plans they had, it was clear it was gonna be a fit that would work and something that would be long-lasting as well. Yeah, it's been a special journey for sure.”
