The 20-year-old Nico O'Reilly recently received his first call-up to the England national team. In an interview, the young defender said that he was very happy to be favored by coach Tuchel and believed that this was one of the most important moments in his career and life.

During this international break, England's "Three Lions" will host Wales in a friendly at Wembley Stadium before traveling to Latvia in the next round of European FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Currently, England leads their group with 15 points, and their prospects of qualifying for the World Cup are looking promising.

Nico O'Reilly, who came from Manchester City's youth training, played a total of 9 games for Manchester City in the 2024/25 Premier League season and contributed 2 goals. In the 2025/26 season, Nico O'Reilly played 6 Premier League games for Guardiola's team and contributed an assist in the Champions League against Monaco.

Speaking about the feeling of being called up to the England senior national team for the first time, Nico O'Reilly shared, "It's all happened so quickly but I'm enjoying every minute of it. It feels crazy and I'm so happy to be here. This is definitely one of the biggest moments in my career and my life. I didn't expect it at all. It's always been a goal and a dream of mine to make it to the senior national team and now it's finally happened."

"After the game, coach Tuchel called me. I received a text message at first, and I even checked it. I was on the team bus at the time, and I called him back as soon as I got off. He said that he really wanted me to join the team, and that he had been following me for a while and saw that I was performing well. He was also very happy that I was getting regular playing time."

Nico O'Reilly said, "I was so excited that I immediately told my friends and my mom, and notified a few people. They were all proud of me and told me to enjoy it all, be myself and savor every moment. I arrived at the base this morning and met everyone, and everyone was so welcoming. I changed into my training clothes, did a few interviews, took a few photos, and now I'm here."

"I've played for the U15, U16, U17, U18 and now the U20 team. I missed the U19 game because I was injured. And last month I was supposed to report for the U21 team, but I got injured again."

Nico O'Reilly also said, "I just want to train hard and impress everyone, meet my teammates and have a good time. I am looking forward to stepping onto the court with my teammates."