IT’S BRERETONMANIA AND THERE’S NO CURE
Who was the only English footballer to score on the night England played Scotland at Euro 2020? It’s a question destined for pub quizzes in years to come. That drab game at Wembley was a poor 0-0; John Stones’ header onto a post was the closest any Three Lions player came to getting themselves on the scoresheet.
A couple of hours after the final whistle, 5,718 miles away in Cuiaba, Brazil, a 22-year-old Blackburn Rovers striker, born in Stoke-on-Trent, was steadying himself to become a nationwide sensation. After rifling his 10th-minute goal into the bottom corner, Chile’s new No.22 wheeled away and kissed the badge of his country.
Ben Brereton Diaz’s first international goal had secured La Roja a 1-0 win against Bolivia in the 2021 Copa America. Breretonmania was about to take hold.
BOY’S A BIT LOCO
When FourFourTwo meets Brereton Diaz at Blackburn’s Ewood Park on a bright autumn day, there’s little about him that screams ‘Latin American megastar’. If you squinted, you might just about convince yourself that his short beard and pushed-back hair were attached to a Sergio or Felipe… that is, until he opens his mouth and the Potteries tones become rather conclusive.
While there’s no crucifix hanging loosely from a chain around his neck, a quick glance at the ESPN Global crew setting up their live link for Chilean news tells you that this is no ordinary Championship footballer.
The day before we meet, Brereton Diaz has again been called up for international duty – and FFT aren’t the only ones keen to hear his take on six ridiculous months in which he’s become an overnight idol in his adopted country. Streets have been named after him; kids’ birthday cakes adorned with his face on the body of Christ; viral TikTok dances created in his honour.
“It’s incredible,” the slightly embarrassed forward tells . “No one knew who I was when
