| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Tudor Olorunninbe Mendel-Idowu [1] | ||
| Date of birth | 15 January 2005 | ||
| Place of birth | Slough, England [2] | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Ipswich Town | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2013–2023 | Chelsea | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023–2024 | RSCA Futures | 16 | (1) |
| 2024– | Ipswich Town | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2019 | England U15 | 2 | (1) |
| 2022 | England U17 | 4 | (3) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 1 April 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20:34, 30 March 2022 (UTC) | |||
Tudor Olorunninbe Mendel-Idowu (born 15 January 2005) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for English side Ipswich Town.
Born in Berkshire, England, Mendel-Idowu was regarded as a child prodigy academically, featuring numerous times in national and international competitions, most notably coming second in the 2014 edition of Child Genius. [3] Mendel-Idowu attended independent boys' preparatory boarding school Ludgrove School. [3] At the age of thirteen, he was made a King's Scholar at Eton College. [4]
He joined the youth academy of Chelsea at under-8 level, following interest from numerous other clubs including Arsenal and Tottenham. [5] [4] In July 2021, he signed a new contract with the Blues. [6]
Following the conclusion of the 2022–23 season, with his contract set to expire, Mendel-Idowu was offered a new deal by Chelsea. [7] However, on 18 July 2023, it was reported by Spanish journalist Albert Rogé that Mendel-Idowu had rejected this offer, and was close to joining Spanish side Barcelona. [8]
Despite these links, on 27 July 2023, he officially signed for Belgian side Anderlecht. [9] Initially assigned to the club's reserve team, RSCA Futures, Mendel-Idowu scored on his debut in the Challenger Pro League in a 3–2 win against Dender. [10]
On 3 September 2024, Anderlecht confirmed that Mendal-Idowu had left the club to join Premier League side Ipswich Town on a permanent deal. [11]
Eligible to represent both England and Nigeria at international level, Mendel-Idowu was first called up to the England national under-15 football team in 2019. [12] Tudor scored his first England U17 goal against Scotland on 8 February in a 3–0 win and followed that up with a further 2 goals in England U17's next game playing as a right winger. He later made substitute appearances against France and Luxembourg in the England U17 qualification games.
Mendel-Idowu's maternal grandfather is John Adeleye-Abai, who played for the Nigeria national football team as a winger. [4] His paternal grandfather, Dr Fola Kayode Mendel-Idowu, was a gifted academic, who specialised in bio-aeronautics and was Africa's first 'flying doctor'. [4]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Chelsea U21 | 2022–23 | — | — | — | 1 [a] | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| RSCA Futures | 2023–24 | Challenger Pro League | 1 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Career total | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | ||