A ten-year-old boy from Emmbrook was part of the England team that walked out for last week’s crunch UEFA Euro 2024 match against Slovakia.
Dylan Griffiths’ father Tom won the place for his son as part of a competition organised by supermarket chain Lidl as part of its sponsorship of the competition.
After entering the lucky draw competition more than three months ago, Tom opted not to tell his son until the day before the match last Tuesday, June 25..
Dylan told Wokingham Today: “I got up ready to go to school and my grandma got out an England shirt and told me I’m going to Germany.
“I felt so shocked, but so pleased.”
After a train trip to Cologne via Brussels on the Eurostar, Dylan only found out he’d be walking out with Declan Rice when they lined up in the tunnel.
The young Liverpool fan also got the opportunity to take photos with Jude Bellingham and other England stars, thanks to staying in the same hotel as the England team prior to the match,
The once-in-a-lifetime experience has only reinforced Dylan’s desire to make a career as a professional footballer one day.
Dylan suggested England may struggle to overcome Switzerland in the next match, especially if the team plays as it did against Slovakia in its previous match on Sunday.
He suggested manager Gareth Southgate should consider dropping captain Harry Kane who he described as being “.. dodgy at the moment”, in favour of striker Ivan Toney.
Dylan and Tom also expressed their thanks to Lidl, and to chaperones Sarah and Olivia, for the experience, which Dylan said was “brilliant”.
