He’s the NFL superstar that you’ve probably never heard of.
But Jay Ajayi was born in east London in 1993 and now has the chance to make history by winning the Super Bowl more than 4,000 miles away.
The talented running back was born in Homerton Hospital to Nigerian parents and studied at schools in Essex where he lived with his family.
And 24 years later the 6ft Londoner has become the poster boy for American Football in the UK and could hold the key to the Philadelphia Eagles winning their first ever Super Bowl title.
Jay Ajayi (pictured as a child with his mother) was born in Homerton Hospital in east London in 1993
Ajayi (pictured as a child) moved to Maryland, US, aged seven and family later settled near Dallas in Texas
The explosive running back is proud of his British roots and was wearing a Union Jack hat during a press conference before the huge game on Sunday evening
The 24-year-old is also a huge Arsenal supporter and was born just three miles from the Emirates Stadium
He is known for his pace and famously scored a 62-yard touchdown when playing for the Miami Dolphins
The avid Arsenal supporter insists he is ‘calm’ as he hopes to become just the fifth British-born NFL player to claim Super Bowl glory.
Ajayi, who wore a Union Jack hat during a press conference earlier this week, is proud of his British roots and gets emotional when he returns to the capital.
Photographs show him with his mother in the UK before the family moved to Maryland, US, when he was seven and they later relocated to Texas.
He started playing American Football for his high school in Frisco, north of Dallas, and now earns a base salary of £500,000 after he joined the Pennsylvania-based team from the Miami Dolphins in 2017.
In 2015 he returned to the capital for the first time since he left in 2000 and visited children at St Andrew’s Catholic Primary School in Streatham.
He told the Standard: ‘I want them to see that I was just like them – a young, enthusiastic kid in London from a normal background.
‘I want them to see that with hard work, discipline and dedication they too could one day be an NFL star or a football star or whatever they want to be.
‘I want to tell them that they should never give up on their dreams.
‘While I am here, I am going back to my family home in Essex and visiting the Emirates Stadium – I am a Gunner for life.’
He also recalled the time he ‘lost his accent’ and said his classmates in Texas would make fun of him because he was ‘different’.
Ajayi said: ‘So my voice, I just kind of blended it into whatever it is now, where it’s British, American, Texan all in one.
‘My mum’s accent is still very strong, so I’m always like: ‘dang, I wonder what it would be like if I had mine.’
He has a big following in the UK following his meteoric rise to stardom and has won over his new team-mates who say he ‘spreads his happiness’.
The 6ft running back (pictured) earns a salary of £500,000 after he joined the Eagles last year
Ajayi insisted he is calm and relaxed before the Super Bowl in Minneapolis on Sunday night
The Arsenal supporter (pictured) has previously revealed that French striker Thierry Henry was his hero
The 15st 13lbs NFL star is hoping to become just the fifth British-born player to win the Super Bowl
LeGarrette Blount said: ‘He’s an amazing team-mate. Hands down. We welcomed him with open arms.
‘We were excited about having him in there. He added another element of big-play ability on our team.
‘You can tell he’s a happy person. He spreads how happy he is to everybody. He smiles a lot. He’s one of my close friends on the team, so I see him all the time.’
Ajayi has also made an impression on fellow running bakc Corey Clement, an undrafted free agent who has been versatile on offense and a special teams ace.
Clement said: ‘I didn’t know he had an accent. I’m like, ‘Where are you from?’. He’s like, ‘I’m from London’.
‘I didn’t know that. Getting a chance to know Jay, you know watching him in Miami, I didn’t know that he was a London native. So it’s pretty cool just to know his background, his family tree.
‘He’s brilliant when it comes to playing. He runs vicious. Jay really doesn’t give up at all. And that’s what you want out of a character and a team-mate.
‘He’s a guy I can learn from as well. Jay is definitely fun. He’s about fashion. He has his own clothing line, which is pretty awesome. It’s something cool that he’s not just all about football. He knows how to do all the financial and business side too.’
Speaking on Friday, Ajayi said he was staying calm before the huge match on Sunday evening.
He said: ‘Right now I’m very calm, it’s just another week.
‘You will get a little more anxious leading up to game time but to me it hasn’t felt too big.
‘I understand we’ve got one more job to do. My main focus is making sure I know the game-plan and I’m ready to play on Sunday.
‘The night before the game I know I’m just going to relax, keep my mind at ease, maybe watch something on Netflix or a movie, go to sleep and not be feeling too anxious or nervous.
‘It’s just football, I’ve been doing this my whole life, it’s not going to change because it’s the Super Bowl and there’s lights, cameras.’