NY Giants Star Jermaine Eluemunor Wanted To Be Pro Soccer Player Growing Up In Europe

Jermaine Eluemunor was born in London and didn't leave England until he was a teenager, so naturally the massive NY Giants offensive lineman's first love growing up was football -- but not the American type -- and the NFL star says there was a time he thought he'd go pro!

TMZ Sports talked to the 31-year-old offensive lineman on the eve of his native country's semifinal clash with Lionel Messi and Argentina ... where we chopped it up about the match (more on that in a sec), and his love of soccer.

"I've always been a huge fan of the game. I wanted to play when I was a little kid. I was just too big," the 6'4", 338 lb. tackle told Babcock.

"It's a lot harder to become a football soccer player because when I was a kid, I wasn't playing as much. I was playing maybe like once or twice a week. But when I came to America, I learned that you have to train every single day," Jermaine explained.

At the end of the day, Eluemunor, who signed a $39 Million contract in March, is one of the best right tackles in the NFL ... and clearly made the right decision about what sport to pursue.

"I think that God put me on the earth to play American football. That's, you know, my love and passion."

We also talked about the World Cup's biggest breakout star, Erling Haaland, the big striker from Norway ... and whether he could've been an American football player.

"He's a big physical guy. He's kind of like an anomaly," Jermaine said of Erling.

"You don't see 6'5 guys like that sprinting downfield. I'm sure if he were on a 40-yard dash, it would be like a 4.2 or 4.1. He is one of a kind, and I think that's why Americans have kind of fell in love with him because of how he plays the game. He's a real physical guy, but he also is a really cool guy, too, from what I've heard. So, yeah, I'm sure he would be like a [Rob] Gronkowski type guy."

Eluemunor will be heading to training camp in just a few weeks, but he spent some time this summer back in his native country, where he hosted his 2nd Annual American Football camp.

Spreading the game in England is something Jermaine tells us he's super passionate about ... and he's got some pretty cool, and lofty goals he has set out for his young campers.

As for Wednesday's match with a trip to the World Cup Finals on the line, Eluemunor believes England is "gonna smack" Argentina.