A lifelong Blackburn Rovers fan and England supporter met up with Adam Wharton at the Euros in Germany.
Paul Clegg has been a Rovers fan for 50 years and has followed England to four World Cups, and is back on the road this summer for Euro 2024.
This week he was invited by the FA to attend the England training session as the Euros get underway, and while there he got the chance to meet Rovers academy product Adam Wharton.
Wharton 20, has enjoyed a meteoric rise after making his debut for Rovers in 2022. He signed with Premier League Crystal Palace in January and his form for them has seen him make the England squad.
Of the invitation, Paul said: “It was a bit of a thank you for all my support over the years.”
Hundreds of fans watched on at Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld in Jena, where England players were taking part in a training session on Tuesday.
An image of Paul's Rovers flag also made it on to a number of worldwide news sites including the BBC.
Paul, who hails from Audley, said: “My boss at WSBL generously gave me an extra week off so I could make the trip.
“As soon as training finished Adam came over and was chatting to me as he had seen my flag.
“He had some pictures taken with my flag and signed my shirt.
“Jude Bellingham followed him over and chatted for a bit and he signed a shirt and my flag,
“I told Adam that although he plays for Palace now the whole of Blackburn is buzzing for him and he's ‘once a blue always a blue’.
"He was so happy that everyone in Blackburn still holds him as one of our own.”
Paul has got tickets for every game to the final with England and in 2022 was in Qatar, which he called a ‘great’ World Cup.
Qatar World Cup: England and Blackburn fan hits out at 'moaners'
England begin their Euro 2024 campaign against Serbia on Sunday, June 16.
We then face Denmark on June 20 and Slovenia on June 25.
Adam Wharton was one of four Crystal Palace players to make the final squad, making the Eagles the club with the most players in the squad.
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