Exclusive: Calvin Bassey Opens Up on Criticism, Growth and Becoming a Fulham Leader

Fulham and Nigeria defender Calvin Bassey says experience and age have been key to his improvement after facing criticism earlier in his career.

The 26-year-old has established himself as a leading figure in Marco Silva’s side since arriving at Craven Cottage in 2024, following a difficult spell at Ajax.

Before joining Fulham, Bassey struggled to establish himself at Dutch giants Ajax after completing a £20m move from Rangers.

He was criticised by club legends and sections of the Dutch media, with doubts raised over his ability to play out from the back. 

Bassey was dropped from the team and deemed not good enough before eventually being sold.

Fulham revival under Marco Silva

Since moving to Fulham, Bassey has reinvented himself and become one of the Premier League’s standout defenders.

He was voted Fulham Player of the Season last term and has followed that with a series of impressive performances this campaign.

The Nigerian international has made 16 Premier League appearances, playing 1,384 minutes. He has completed 928 passes at an 88% success rate, alongside 75 long passes (37%).

Defensively, he has won 76 ground duels and 20 aerial duels, made 31 tackles, 10 interceptions and 13 blocks, form that recently earned praise from Manchester City forward Erling Haaland.

‘It comes with time, experience and age’

Reflecting on his development in an interview with SportsBoom, Bassey said growth had been a natural process.

"I think it's just progression. You can see how much I improved from Rangers to Ajax and now Ajax to Fulham and It comes with time, experience, time, age and improvements," he told SportsBoom.com

Bassey has also formed strong defensive partnerships with Joachim Andersen and Jorge Cuenca at Fulham.

"They can be very good. You have their qualities in the pitch for the team and I think they are good players," he added.

Speaking to SportsBoom at the end of last season, Bassey revealed what it is like playing under Marco Silva and stressed that Fulham firmly believe they can push for European qualification.

Rangers memories and message to fans

A fan favourite during his time at Rangers, Bassey helped the Glasgow club reach the Europa League final and win both the Scottish Premiership and League Cup.

He admitted he still misses Ibrox and urged supporters to continue backing the team during a challenging period.

"I missed every stadium I've played (Not only Ibrox). I have a lot of people cheering me and supporting me. So I missed every stadium."

"I just think, they have to keep supporting the team and keep pushing. You know football changes quickly. So they have to keep pushing through," he concluded.

Bassey is currently with the Nigeria national team in Morocco, competing for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title. He has featured in three of the four matches played so far by the three-time African champions in the competition.