‘It would be the biggest middle finger’ – Chilwell eyes World Cuppublished at 13:43 GMT 26 November
Strasbourg v Crystal Palace (Thu, 20:00 GMT)
Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport Chelsea reporter
Image source, Getty Images
After a difficult end to his time at Chelsea, Ben Chilwell is relaunching his career at French club Strasbourg – and eyeing an England recall to prove his doubters wrong.
The 28-year-old defender admits he has plenty of work to do if he is to make the plane for the 2026 World Cup.
But he says England boss Thomas Tuchel, who Chilwell won the Champions League with at Chelsea in 2021, has told him that his international hopes are not necessarily over.
Speaking before the visit of his former loan club Crystal Palace in the Conference League on Thursday, Chilwell told BBC Sport: “What a story it would be if I went to the World Cup after I was in the [Chelsea] bomb squad and everyone had counted me out 12 months prior.
“It would just be the biggest middle finger to so many people, which to me is a motivation. Chelsea were honest with me and there’s no resentment, but of course I’ve got an ego, so it would be a nice feeling to prove some people wrong.”
Chilwell’s problems began when he tore his cruciate ligament at the end of 2021. He then missed the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after tearing his hamstring, before falling out of favour at Chelsea when Enzo Maresca took over in 2024 – becoming one of those placed in the Blues’ so-called ‘bomb squad’ of unwanted players.
“Probably 99 out of 100 people are saying, ‘No, he’s not going, and it is impossible to go to the World Cup’,” he admitted, before adding he has spoken to Tuchel about his chances.
“We’ve had conversations since he’s got the job at England. I’ll try and word it right – it has been said that it’s not out of the equation.”
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