Callum Hudson-Odoi 2020 | Skills and Goals

Callum James Hudson-Odoi (born 7 November 2000) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger for Premier League club Chelsea and the England national team.

During his time with Chelsea's academy, Hudson-Odoi was part of the squads which won the U18 Premier League in 2017 as well as back-to-back FA Youth Cup titles. His form at youth level was rewarded in January 2018 when he was handed his senior debut and he has since made over 20 appearances for the club.

Hudson-Odoi also enjoyed considerable success at youth level for England, being part of the squad which ended as runners-up in the UEFA European Under-17 Championship and which won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in the same year. In March 2019, he became the youngest player to debut in a competitive match for England, doing so in UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers against the Czech Republic.

Hudson-Odoi was again pursued by Bayern Munich in the summer of 2019, with Chelsea rejecting a £22.5 million bid, compared to the £35 million offer in January.

In July 2019, after Frank Lampard was appointed as Chelsea head coach, Lampard said of Hudson-Odoi: "He can show, right here at Chelsea, the team he came through the academy at, that he is going to be a world-class player – because I truly believe that." Following much speculation about Hudson-Odoi's future, he signed a new five-year contract with Chelsea on 20 September 2019. In October 2019 he said he had made the right choice in staying with the club, and in November 2019 he said he was convinced to stay following a conversation with Lampard.

Hudson-Odoi netted the opener in a 2–0 home win against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup third round on 5 January. On 11 January, he scored his first-ever Premier League goal in Chelsea's 3–0 home win against Burnley.

Eligible for both England and Ghana, Hudson-Odoi has represented England at every age group from under-16 to under-19 level. In April 2017, he was included in the squad for the 2017 UEFA European Under-17 Championship.[43] He scored in the semifinal against Turkey and again in the final, although England eventually lost to Spain on a penalty shoot-out. His performances led to him being included in the team of the tournament. Hudson-Odoi was also an influential figure during England's 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup campaign, netting once in seven appearances and featuring for the entire 90 minutes during their 5–2 final victory over Spain.

In March 2018, Hudson-Odoi scored for England under-18 in a match against Belarus. In September 2018 he scored for the England under-19 team against Belgium.

He was called up by the England under-21 team for the first time in March 2019. A few days later, following injury to some of the senior squad players, he was called up to Gareth Southgate's senior squad for UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers against Czech Republic and Montenegro. Upon receiving his maiden call-up, Hudson-Odoi said he was "shocked" and described it as "a dream come true". He made his debut on 22 March as a 70th-minute substitute in a 5–0 win over the Czech Republic at Wembley Stadium. Upon doing so, he became the youngest-ever player to make his debut in a competitive match for England, aged 18 years and 135 days, breaking the record set by Duncan Edwards in 1955 by 40 days.

Three days later, he made his first competitive start for England and impressed in a 5–1 win over Montenegro, registering an assist for one of Chelsea teammate Ross Barkley's two goals. Upon making his full debut, he became the second youngest ever player to start a competitive match for England, after Wayne Rooney in April 2003, and following the match manager Gareth Southgate praised him for his application.

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