Former Chelsea centre-back Fikayo Tomori has won the admiration of fans, Italy's greatest players and the press in a stunning season at AC Milan.
It is a remarkable feat for a young man to be revered as a defender in a country that considers defending an art form.
But the 24-year-old, who was schooled at Chelsea's academy, is now rated as one of the best in Serie A, leading the Rossoneri's charge for their first league title in more than 10 years.
Fikayo Tomori has impressed coaches, fans and media since his move to AC Milan
Milan sit top of the league with four games to go, two points clear of city rivals Inter, who fluffed their lines and lost their game in hand 2-1 away to Bologna on Wednesday. But the battle will be re-joined today when Milan host Fiorentina and Inter go to Udinese.
No one has done more to propel Milan back to the Serie A summit than Tomori, after a barren decade for the Rossoneri, and in his 14 months at the San Siro his value has doubled, according to the website, Transfermarkt.
So, while Chelsea's decision to let Tomori make his loan move to Milan permanent for £25million last summer – with no buy-back clause – is surprising, it is utterly perplexing that he cannot secure a place in Gareth Southgate's England squad.
No one has done more to push Milan towards a league title and he's trusted by Stefano Pioli
Legendary Italian players line up to praise him. Paolo Maldini admires his intensity; for former England manager, Fabio Capello, it is his speed; Franco Baresi has highlighted his fearless determination; while his manager Stefano Pioli says he has been 'a positive surprise in every way'.
Italian football journalist Mina Rzouki captured the prevailing mood when she declared on Twitter: 'I'm simply in love with Tomori.'
Tomori has played more minutes than any Milan player this season, winning the most aerial duels and tackles. Put bluntly, the team does considerably better when he is in it.
Of the 27 matches Tomori has played in the league during this campaign, Milan have conceded just 0.7 goals per game; in the seven he missed through injury and illness that figure rises to 1.6.
Tomori has built a reputation as a fast and powerful defender, who has been dubbed 'the wall'
He has also been in the side for 12 of the club's 14 clean sheets this term. No wonder the Italian media have dubbed him 'the wall'.
This is just what the serious and single-minded Tomori hoped for when he gambled on a loan move to Milan in January 2021, after being frozen out at Stamford Bridge following 27 appearances, including 17 in the Premier League, ahead of Thomas Tuchel's arrival.
And while he targets the title on the pitch, Tomori has already achieved one ambition - to learn the language - and he has sufficient fluency to give interviews in Italian, to the delight of supporters and journalists.
It is significant, the first word he learned was 'Scudetto'.
'When did I learn it? Practically immediately!' Tomori told Sky Italia.
Tomori has become a fan favourite, not least because Milan perform better when he plays
'When I arrived here, I knew I was joining a strong team that could do something special. This year we can do it.'
As well as his desire to succeed for himself and his club, Tomori sees winning the Scudetto as a way back into Southgate's plans with the World Cup just seven months away.
Off the pitch, Italy has worked its magic on the Canadian-born defender, who moved to Kent as an infant and attended the Blues academy at Cobham from the age of seven.
His sister insists he is 'smilier' than he used to be.
'She said: "You just seem a lot calmer…"' Tomori explained to The Guardian last month. 'I think that's probably the way Italy is.
'Everything is a bit more chilled. In England, everything is so rushed and hustle and bustle. In Italy, everyone's walking a bit slower. Everything's just a bit calmer.'
The ex-Chelsea defender has excelled on the pitch and impressed off it, mastering Italian
Tomori is enjoying his football at AC Milan and he is loving the culture of Italy, where he has discovered the sweet treat, sfogliatella
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Tomori encouraged his erstwhile Chelsea team-mate, Tammy Abraham, to join Roma last summer and the pair, who speak often, share a similar experience in Italy.
Both have spoken of how they no longer rush home from training, taking time to enjoy their surroundings. Tomori has fallen into the habit of relaxing on the terrace with team-mates and friends, and like the Milanese, he drinks a macchiato after each meal, whereas before he never drank coffee.
Italians, like all football fans, demand performances from their players, but they are desperate for imports to love their country and culture, too.
And for Italians language and food are two key themes. Having nailed the former, he was captured on film enjoying the latter in a recent YouTube short that went viral.
On a team flight home following a 1-0 win at Napoli in March, a sceptical Tomori was offered a tray of sfogliatelle, a Neapolitan pastry, filled with cream, custard or dried fruit.
After eyeing the popular treats suspiciously for some time, Tomori carefully tucked in before showing enthusiastic appreciation, to the delight of social media.
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