Born in Perth, Western Australia, Tombides lived in City Beach[3] and played youth football with Stirling Lions before moving to Macau in 2007 aged 13.

[2] He played in nearby Hong Kong with the Brazilian Soccer School in Yau Ma Tei[4] before joining West Ham United aged 15.

[6] On 25 September 2012, he made his only professional appearance for West Ham in a 4–1 home defeat by Wigan Athletic in the League Cup third round, coming on as an 84th-minute substitute for Gary O'Neil.

[9] He was considered by Australian fans and media to be a successor to Harry Kewell, but his coach Jan Versleijen downplayed the comparisons, saying that despite his talent it was too early to make such a judgement.

[14] In June 2012, after treatment including the removal of his lymph nodes, Tombides was told he was back to full health and returned to training,[15][16] and made his West Ham debut in September 2012.

[17] The following day, before a game against Crystal Palace at the Boleyn Ground, his father and brother Taylor, laid a shirt on the centre spot which carried Tombides' squad number 38 and his name.

[3] In February 2015, The "Dylan Tombides DT38" charitable foundation was launched with the aims of fundraising, raising awareness of testicular cancer and of the education of young people on the subject.