Inside England player’s personalised packages from Price William ahead of World Cup
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The England stars received personalized packages from Prince William before flying to Qatar to win the World Cup for the first time in 56 years.
The 26 players selected to represent the Three Lions joined as a group on Monday before the tournament and were given their squad numbers by manager Gareth Southgate.
Prince William arrived to greet the players on Monday night and offered some final words of encouragement before handing out a packet to all team members detailing the number of players who had previously worn their squad numbers and an inspirational message from Southgate.
Harry Maguire posted a message on Twitter after receiving his parcel, alongside the caption, “Honored with Prince William’s famous number 6 shirt.”
Maguire’s package highlighted that only 11 players have previously worn the No. 6 on the biggest podium, including World Cup winning captain Bobby Moore, Southgate and Sol Campbell.
Southgate’s lengthy message urged Maguire to make history with England in the coming weeks.
“Wear your shirt with pride and embrace the chance to make history,” Southgate wrote.
Harry Maguire has posted a photo of him receiving his package from Prince William on Monday night
The pack showed players who had previously worn the No. 6 and included a message from Gareth Southgate
England captain Harry Kane also posted a message on Twitter about himself with Prince William, alongside the caption ‘Pride in the shirt’
England captain Harry Kane also posted an image of his pack being handed to him by Prince William, with the tweet: ‘Pride in the shirt’.
Prince William had said to the players, ‘What you and Gareth have built here is something special, it shows.
‘Play for each other, support each other, enjoy it and I’m sure you’ll go far.
“I’m really here to point out that the rest of the country is behind you, we’re all rooting for you. Enjoy it.’
Kane, who won the Golden Boot at the last World Cup in 2018, follows in the footsteps of England greats like Bobby Charlton, Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney by wearing the number 9.
Kyle Walker comes to Qatar after not playing for Manchester City since early October following groin surgery.
However, Southgate has shown confidence in him after playing in Russia four years ago and being named in UEFA’s team of the tournament at last year’s European Championship.
Walker has been given the No. 2 jersey, worn by just 13 England players before him at the World Cup.
Fellow right-back Kieran Trippier has been in sparkling form for Newcastle this season and looks likely to start at fullback when the tournament gets underway.
Trippier wore the number 12 shirt in Russia in 2018 and scored against Croatia in the semi-final.
He will be wearing the same number again in Qatar and posted a photo of himself next to Prince William on Instagram on Tuesday morning with the caption: ‘Great to see the Prince of Wales yesterday. I hope we all manage to make you proud for the next 6 weeks.’
Kyle Walker has been given the number 2 shirt after recovering from a groin injury to be part of Southgate’s squad
Kieran Trippier will wear the number 12 again after wearing it for England at the 2018 World Cup in Russia
Central defender John Stones will try to shine at another World Cup in the number 5 shirt for England
John Stones scored twice at the 2018 World Cup and could feature in a back five alongside Walker and Trippier.
He will take on the No. 5 shirt in Qatar and has labeled it a ‘massive honour’ to go to yet another major tournament.
“A huge honor to receive my number 5 shirt for the World Cup from Prince William,” he wrote on Instagram.
England flew to Qatar on Tuesday morning and took off on a Gay Pride plane to highlight concerns over gay rights in the country, where same-sex relations remain a crime and whose World Cup ambassador said last week that homosexuality “harms to the mind’. .
Before they left, England captain Harry Kane said, “I’m excited. The World Cup is a special occasion. It is clear that we are flying today. So I’m very excited.
“For most professional players, this is the biggest tournament you can play in. I was lucky enough to do one and it was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life. And I can’t wait to get out in this weather and get some sun!”