The symmetry was impossible to escape when Dominic Solanke once again stood expectantly on more or less the same piece of Wembley lawn.
Back in an England shirt, ready to win his second cap, ready to come on as a second-half substitute against Greece, just as he had done on his debut against Brazil.
Seven years older, wiser for everything that happened in between. Bigger, stronger. He agreed he was a better striker, more complete and determined to be part of England’s future.
“I’ve been through a lot,” admits 27-year-old Solanke. ‘I have learned a lot. I have grown, both on and off the field. My game has improved since that first cap. I have become more mature, fuller. I’m a lot stronger.
‘I was quite young at the time and it was a friendly competition. This time I was a bit older and in competition. Probably more excitement than nerves this time. You just want to get further, because representing your country is a dream.
Dominic Solanke has had his fair share of career struggles but is reaching his top form at Tottenham
Solanke earned his second England cap – seven years after his first – against Greece last week
‘When you are young and look at the top players, they all do it for their country. And there are so many players that it is a huge achievement to be among the selected players. Every time you get the opportunity it’s something to cherish, so once again I’m grateful for the opportunity. I worked hard to get back, so it was a pleasure.”
This was Solanke’s second coming as an England international. His first was a run of 72 caps at various youth levels, culminating in England’s victory at the Under-20 World Cup in South Korea, where he scored four and won the Golden Ball, the award for the best player.
Previous winners include Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona. “Nice to brag about,” he says with a smile when reminded of how Rodrigo Bentancur, now a Tottenham team-mate, played for Uruguay in the same tournament. ‘I will never forget it, that is one of my greatest achievements. Hopefully there will be more to come.
‘It’s a long season and I have to keep playing for Tottenham. I’m doing well for the club and hopefully there will be more opportunities to play for England.’
Solanke kept his shirt from last week’s match against Greece and plans to frame it and hang it next to the shirt already hanging on his wall from his debut in 2017.
Solanke has now set his sights on playing for England at the next World Cup in 2026
Solanke was relegated at Bournemouth, but has always believed in himself
The forward was keen to help with a five-a-side tournament organized by Tottenham’s community coaches for aspiring players
One of his first tasks on returning to Tottenham’s training center was to help out at a five-a-side tournament organized by the club’s community coaches for aspiring players aged 16 to 18 from across North London. He mingles, chats and grabs a microphone to answer their quick questions. Idol? Didier Drogba. Toughest opponent? Virgil van Dijk. Most gifted teammate? Eden Hazard.
Biggest setback? Relegation with Bournemouth. Advice? Keep going and believe in yourself. Ambition? To try to be at the next World Cup.
At their age, Solanke was tipped for stardom by Jose Mourinho, who named him as one of three Chelsea teenagers he expected to reach the top. The others were Lewis Baker and Izzy Brown. “My conscience tells me that if Baker, Brown and Solanke are not national team players in a few years, I have to blame myself,” Mourinho said three months before making Solanke his debut as a substitute in a Champions League match against Maribor.
This week marks ten years since that first glimpse of young Solanke. Baker is now on loan from Stoke to Blackburn. Brown retired last April after a succession of injuries.
“When a manager like that says things like that, it’s great to hear,” says Solanke. ‘A little extra pressure, but he clearly said it for a reason. I have good memories of that.’
Solanke was praised alongside fellow Chelsea starlet Izzy Brown (pictured left)
Solanke revealed he looked up to Didier Drogba when he came through the ranks at Chelsea
It would prove to be Solanke’s only appearance for Chelsea. The following season he was loaned out to Vitesse Arnhem and Mourinho had been sacked when he returned. Antonio Conte was in charge and Solanke was out of contract to leave for a better path to the first team.
He joined Liverpool in 2017 and Bournemouth a year and a half later after failing to impress at Anfield.
“In life, things can always happen that are out of your control,” says Solanke. “I believe that everyone’s journey is different and that you will get to where you want to be if you keep working hard. That’s my mentality.’
A philosophy that has helped him overcome adversity and continue to learn from some of the iconic strikers around him. “Growing up at Chelsea, Drogba was the leading man,” he recalls. ‘A great person to look up to. He was very honest when I trained with them, while he was doing an exercise, he would point out and express things that were on his mind. He wouldn’t just say anything. I’m grateful for that.’
Then there was Diego Costa. ‘One of the funniest people I’ve met in football. A crazy personality who always plays pranks. Such players are important to improve the mood. And what he did at Chelsea meant he was someone to look up to.”
Solanke also tried to learn from Diego Costa during his early days at Stamford Bridge
Solanke says it was a pleasure to watch Mo Salah when the two were together at Liverpool
At Liverpool there was the famous front three of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mo Salah, who signed for Solanke in the same summer and scored 44 goals in his debut season as Liverpool reached the Champions League final, losing to Real Madrid.
“It was a joy to watch them and be with them,” Solanke says. ‘At the clubs I’ve worked at there have been some great players who have achieved crazy form and reached their prime.’
This season, eyes are on Solanke and expect him to do the same. He reset over five and a half years under five different managers at Bournemouth.
Since the start of the 2021/2022 season, he has scored 61 goals in 133 games, including his first three for Tottenham, who paid a club record £65 million, backing his talent to flourish in the void left by Harry Kane left behind.
Solanke is starting to find his feet at Tottenham, but the team is achieving mixed results
Solanke wants to return Ange Postecoglou’s team to the Champions League
That brings pressure, although Solanke shrugs his shoulders. ‘Pressure is part of football. At a bigger club there is extra pressure, but everyone wants to play for the biggest clubs, so that pressure is a privilege.’
Can he seize this opportunity? At the front of a team designed to attack freely, can he make his mark at elite level now that he’s bigger, better and more complete?
“Being at a club like Tottenham, we all want to be part of that,” he says. ‘We are in the Europa League, but the Champions League is where everyone wants to be.’
Perhaps it would close a circle for Solanke, after making his Chelsea debut in the Champions League and seeing Liverpool come close to victory in 2018, to lead Spurs back into Europe’s elite. ‘Hopefully we can achieve that next season, and even better to win that. I like the way we play. It’s one of the reasons I came here.’
Dominic Solanke was speaking at Tottenham Hotspur’s training center during a five-a-side tournament for young aspiring footballers, organized through the club’s education and football development centres. More information here