All you need to know about one of England's most experienced players
Maro Itoje has achieved a great deal in both his international and club career, winning trophies with Saracens and England.
He plays predominantly at lock but is also capable of playing at flanker and he has established himself as one of the best players in the world. Here are a few things you should know about the star.
Ten things you should know about Maro Itoje
1. Maro Itoje, full name Oghenemaro Miles Itoje, was born in Camden to Nigerian parents on 28 October 1994. He stands at 6ft 5in (1.95m) and weighs 18st 2lb (115kg).
2. He only started playing rugby at 11 when introduced to the sport at secondary school St George’s in Harpenden, which was also attended by England team-mates Owen Farrell and George Ford.
3. Itoje has played for Saracens since 2012 and has won five Premiership titles, three Champions Cup trophies, the LV Cup and the Championship.
Between 2015 and 2016, Itoje enjoyed a 31-match unbeaten run in games he started for club and country.
4. He represented England at U17 level in shot put and played basketball to a high level, before finally settling on rugby.
5. Itoje won his first senior England cap in 2016 against Italy. Since then he has won three Six Nations titles – one of which was a Grand Slam – and finished second and third at Rugby World Cups.
In his youth career for England Itoje was captain of the U20 team that beat South Africa to win the 2014 Junior World Championship final. Earlier in the same year, he had scored a try in every U20 Six Nations game.
6. In 2023 Itoje launched a charity called the Pearl fund. It fundraises to invest money into the education of children in African countries.
Related: Saracens and England lock Maro Itoje analysed
7. Itoje has dabbled with modelling. He appeared on the cover of Tatler in 2018 alongside Prince William and Harry’s cousin Amelia Windsor, while in 2020 he and his family were part of a Ralph Lauren advertising campaign.
8. Bath prop Beno Obano, who made his England debut against Scotland in the 2021 Six Nations, is his cousin.
9. At just 22, Itoje was the youngest player in the 41-man British & Irish Lions squad that toured New Zealand in 2017. The lock made three Test appearances in that campaign, which resulted in a drawn series against the All Blacks. Itoje was also a part of the 2021 Lions tour to South Africa.
10. Itoje announced on social media in 2024 he was engaged to model Mimi Fall.
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