Chilwell thrilled with Legacy spot

Ben Chilwell describes the ‘great moment’ he was awarded his England Legacy Cap by manager Gareth Southgate and the belief he has in his manager ahead of UEFA EURO 2020.

The 24 year old is the 1235th player to represent the Three Lions since their inaugural fixture against Scotland back in 1872 and was handed a commemorative red cap at St. George’s Park to recognise the achievement. 

Southgate himself collected his own Legacy Cap before handing each of the 26-man squad their own and explaining the significance of representing their country at a major tournament. 

“The moment we all received our caps was a great moment,” said Chilwell on the Official England Podcast.

“Gareth spoke to us about his experiences playing for England and how much it should mean to you before we got given our caps.

“Then after we were given them, we spoke to another player about each other’s journey to where we are now.

“I was with Rashy [Marcus Rashford] and it was really nice to hear how he’s got to where he is now from when he was a little boy. It was a nice little moment and it should make us stronger. 

“He’s a brilliant manager, not just for his football knowledge but how he is with the boys away from training. You feel like you’re playing with your friends when you step on the pitch and Gareth is a massive reason why we all feel like that.”

The first of Chilwell’s 14 caps came back in 2018 but just too late to be considered for the FIFA World Cup earlier that year, which he watched avidly as a fan.

The Three Lions’ run to the semi-finals captivated the nation and the Chelsea full-back is hoping to recreate that feeling with his teammates this summer.