England super-fan, six, to be pre-World Cup mascot

A six-year-old schoolboy who has supported England "my full life" has shared his joy at being selected to travel to the United States as a mascot before the World Cup.

CJ, from Blackburn in Lancashire, will travel to Orlando with his grandad Paul Clegg, who has long followed the Three Lions around the world.

Young fan CJ will join the players on the pitch before England take on Costa Rica in a warm-up game on 10 June ahead of the tournament.

"I just hope that he follows my path because I've been to some amazing places around the world... I've been to so many different places following England," said his proud grandfather. "It's not just the football - it's the whole culture that surrounds it."

Paul told the BBC the family believed CJ, who has been attending England games since he was two, had missed out because they had not heard anything by a supposed deadline on Wednesday.

However an email arrived the following day, inviting CJ to Orlando where he will meet his favourite players - Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane and Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

Paul, who has been going to England matches since the 1990s, said the culture had changed since the days when fans were dogged with a reputation for hooliganism.

"In 1998 - the first game that I attended in Marseille - it was like three days of proper civil war. It was horrendous," he explained.

"But things have changed since - England fans are welcomed around the world.

"There's a different atmosphere around the England fans."

He added that having his grandson with him in Orlando would be "extra special".

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