"This is all crazy. I never knew you could be so well-known over your success. I never knew they would take so much interest."
Tuesday 12 February 2019 08:05, UK
Jadon Sancho is going all out to impress his home town when Borussia Dortmund meet Tottenham in the Champions League at Wembley on Wednesday.
The former Manchester City youngster, who was born in south London, is heading back to his home country for the first time in club football having established himself as one of the brightest young talents in Europe.
Sancho has scored eight goals in 28 appearances for the German side this season and is expected to play a vital role in their last-16 tie against Spurs.
The 18-year-old showed no nerves on his first international start for England at Wembley in November and is hoping for a similar display against Tottenham.
"I'll be playing in front of my family, which is something I've wanted to do since I was a young boy," Sancho said. "I'd love to play in front of my home town. Hopefully I can show London people what I'm about."
Sancho's consistent performances for the Bundesliga leaders has attracted a wealth of online attention, but he is refusing to let that distract him.
"Obviously I've seen Twitter things, but I don't ask questions really," he said. "I just stay focused on what I'm doing, and just keep going forward.
"This is all crazy. I never knew you could be so well-known over your success. I thought if you are doing well everyone talks, obviously the fans, but I never knew they would take so much interest."
Sancho has also been praised for his decision to leave Pep Guardiola's City side to move abroad in search of regular first-team football.
"When I first left home it was very difficult, Harefield Academy [the Hertfordshire boarding school] when I was at Watford. It was difficult because I wasn't used to it," Sancho explained.
"I was always with my mum. The first couple of years were very tough, and then as I got older, people started to tell me, 'It's either this, or going back home.'
"I always loved football, so I always chose the hard option. That's what's made me more comfortable being away from home than other people. So I'm kind of lucky."
