Harry Maguire will be living the dream when he travels to Russia next month to be part of England's World Cup squad.
The Sheffield-born footballer has cheered on the Three Lions as a supporter as young as a nine-year-old. "I’ve watched World Cups and European Championships as a fan for as long as I can remember," Maguire told thefa.com .
"My earliest memory of the World Cup is the 2002 tournament in South Korea and Japan. I watched a lot of those games at school in Chesterfield because of the time difference," he said.
While it was a moment of redemption for David Beckham, when he smashed home a penalty against Argentina during a group stage stage match, it remains Maguire's stand-out memory.
"I remember David Beckham’s penalty against Argentina – who doesn’t?! Beckham’s penalty stands out as my favourite World Cup memory, but I also loved his free-kick against Greece (World Cup qualifier) that got us there. It was a massive moment for England, and that free-kick and celebration have just stuck with me ever since," said the 25-year-old.
In the quarterfinals, England was knocked out by Ronaldinho's outrageous free-kick from over 35-yards.
"And then Ronaldinho scored that cross-shot over David Seaman to knock us out. I still believe it was a cross, there was no way he meant that!" Maguire recollected.
His good form with Leicester City in the Premier League was rewarded with his first England cap in October last year against Lithuania.
"Pulling on the England shirt for the first time was the proudest moment of my career and I can’t wait to go to a World Cup with my country," he said.
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