Andy Milne, who has been dubbed England’s biggest fan, is set to make a huge sacrifice to ensure he attends the Three Lions fixtures at the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.
Thousands of England supporters will make the trip to North America this summer with the hope of seeing the Three Lions secure their first major trophy since the 1966 World Cup triumph under Sir Alf Ramsey.
But one supporter may capture the attention of his fellow fans and the TV cameras more than most.
Andy Milne was introduced to viewers at the 2022 Qatar World Cup when he was regularly captured by cameras while holding a replica copy of the Jules Rimet trophy.
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Some suggested he looks like former Three Lions boss Steve McClaren before the Milne, 62, continued to be spotted by television viewers.
But who is he?
The 62-year-old is a retired teacher from Cheshire and is currently putting together plans for his 10th World Cup with England.
As reported by the Mirror, Milne has tickets for every England game up until the final at the World Cup and could be in North America for around seven weeks and has even put a property he owns on sale for £350,000 in order to raise funds for his costly travels.
In an interview with the Mirror, the superfan revealed all about his World Cup pilgrimage.
"I definitely want to see the whole tournament," he said. "I am going to the US on June 3 and will be there for seven weeks. So it will cost quite a lot of money.
"I always try to do things cheaply if I can. I will couch surf where possible; I am lucky to have friends in Mexico, Dallas and Vancouver. Travel costs are expensive; I bought international flights early because you can change them even if departure times change by 10 minutes."
England’s tournament opener gets underway on June 17 when Thomas Tuchel’s side takes on old foes Croatia in Dallas, Texas.
Milne then explained how the property he’s selling is in fact a rental property rather than his home, with the 62-year-old spending most of his time in Thailand.
"It is going on the market because I'm selling it to go to the World Cup," he added. "The last tournament in Qatar was a present to myself, I had been saving for years. We have had a second home for 27 years so it felt like the right time to cash in."
Milne will no doubt be keeping a close eye on England this evening as they take on Uruguay at Wembley.
Luke Davies