Tariq Lamptey reveals parents influence in becoming a Premier League star

Defender Tariq Lamptey has revealed that he wants to make his parents proud after supporting his dream of becoming a footballer.

The Brighton and Hove Albion right-back has been in superb form this season, and produced another impressive performance as the Seagulls lost narrowly to Manchester United on Saturday afternoon.

But the 19-year-old insists the player he has become today was massively shaped by his parents, who made sure he followed his dreams of making it to the top.

“My parents are a massive influence on me,” he told Brighton and Hove Albion website. “They were always taking me up and down the country to training sessions.

“It’s not easy as a parent, especially when you’re working and trying to provide for your family, to also take your kid up to Manchester or Birmingham.

“It’s a hard job. I have two younger brothers as well, so it wasn’t an easy time. [I remember] little things like my mum picking me up from school, having food for me in the car and heading straight off to training because the traffic was so bad on the M25. Or my dad training me early in the morning before school.

“He says he was a footballer, but I haven’t seen any videos to prove it! He’s played a massive part in why I’m here today and my mum as well because they sacrificed a lot for me.

“It means a lot for me to be playing in the Premier League and hopefully giving back to them as well.”