Dan Burn fell in love with football after watching David Beckham’s dramatic winner against Argentina at the 2002 World Cup and now has the chance to create a lasting memory of his own against England‘s great rivals.
Burn was a 10-year-old watching with his dad in a Florida pub when Beckham’s penalty earned redemption following his 1998 red card, when Glenn Hoddle’s team bravely lost in the round of 16.
Now, 24 years on, Burn is part of the England squad looking to get one over on Argentina again in Wednesday’s semifinal.
“I was 10. I know exactly where I was, I was in a bar called the Cricketers Arms in Orlando because we were on holiday,” Burn said.
“It must have been on quite late because I think it was just me and my dad.
“He used to take us to the pub, so I must have been like 10. And they must have been open late.
“And I remember when the penalty went in, just like the roar from inside.
“I think that was the time when I fell in love with football. I’ve said it before, him scoring that free-kick against Greece (in the final qualifier) was the first time I was like, ‘football’s class.'”
