Is Antonee Robinson still a Jedi? USMNT & Fulham star retires magic act & reveals biggest culture shock as an Englishman in America

As a big Star Wars fan growing up, Robinson picked his own nickname – which has stuck through to adulthood. He may have mastered the art of mind games, but also picked up a few card tricks along the way that he used to impress colleagues with club and country.

The Fulham defender has revealed that he no longer puts on such performances, telling the Men In Blazers podcast: “I don’t do any anymore, that’s come and gone. Went viral with a video and pretty much stopped doing them now. Nowadays I look for a piano and try to play some songs that I’ve been learning.”

Robinson has no need to prove himself in the U.S. camp, with 41 senior caps collected, and admits that life as an Englishman in America has become normal. Asked to pick out the biggest culture shocks that he has experienced, the Milton Keynes-born full-back said: “That’s a good question! Definitely in the past I would have, but after six or seven years with the national team it all does become kind of normal to me. Nothing fazes me now. I’m trying to think of stuff that used to throw me off. I think definitely one difference is the fitness staff when we are coming to do our warm-ups in the US - we have not long been out of bed, just got to the training ground, and they are so high energy and up mood. I’m barely even awake yet! The over-positivity at times is definitely something that can do me.”

Robinson is now an established Premier League performer, with close to 100 appearances in the English top-flight to his name, and has represented the United States at the World Cup and across three triumphant CONCACAF Nations League campaigns. The 26-year-old is hoping to figure in Gregg Berhalter’s plans for a Copa America on home soil this summer.