Ollie Watkins has found a winning style in England similar to that of Champions League winners Real Madrid, who are just one game away from a historic achievement in Berlin.
It was Watkins’ late goal against the Netherlands that set up Sunday’s Euro 2024 final against Spain, reinforcing the idea that this England side has discovered a habit , find ways to win even when the odds look stacked against them.
Real Madrid have their own long-standing winning formula and it was instructive to hear Watkins draw direct comparisons at England’s training camp on Friday when all seemed lost.
The Aston Villa striker was asked about comments from Harry Kane, who described an “aura” ahead of the game against Netherlands that has begun to help England through tough times. “You see teams like Real Madrid in the Champions League: they’re comfortable without the ball and they’re confident that when they get the ball they’re going to score,” Watkins said.
“I feel like it’s the same here. We’re definitely going to be tough to beat, and then we just need one chance and we can win the game. No matter if we don’t play well or the players don’t perform well, we still have world-class talent and we You can play a role in it and achieve your goals.
One of those players was Jude Bellingham, whose bicycle kick against Slovakia will go down in England legend alongside Watkins’ superb finish. Bellingham is a member of the Madrid squad that Watkins admires and is seen as a real contender for this year’s Ballon d’Or.
“No matter what happens, Jude deserves to win the Ballon d’Or,” Watkins said. “The way he plays is so mature, so confident, so dynamic, I couldn’t rate him more highly. To see him transform from where he was… I played against him when he was at Birmingham and even there At the same time, you would also think that he is an experienced professional player.
“I remember one of my early [England] Training camp, I think he was 16 and he still had confidence in himself. It’s no surprise when you look at what he did.
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The rise of Watkins himself has been dramatic, with his spell on loan at Exeter City from Weston-super-Mare in the 2014-15 season well-documented. He spoke with apparent delight about breaking out for the sixth-tier side, recalling the enthusiastic celebrations in a very different scene to Wednesday night.
“We were away at Ebbsfleet. I scored and ran away and there were fans on the away team. It was my first goal for Weston. We had a long bus trip. “JR” , bless him, he’s deceased now, he was the rigger and he used to make potatoes, beans and cheese for us on the bus.
“It’s definitely very different [from the semi-final]He prepared pre-game food for us on the bus. We got a half-cooked potato and some beans from the can; we lived on rations! Then we’ll play. I remember a guy showed up on the bus and his hands were covered in paint. That was his main job, so before we went to the games he was just drawing. It was a wonderful time.
