What James Maddison and Prince William did at England’s headquarters ahead of the World Cup

James Maddison was presented with his England World Cup shirt by Prince William as his World Cup experience continues.

The Foxes midfielder has been one of the Premier League’s standout performers this term, continuing his form from the previous campaign. Maddison has scored seven league goals and provided four assists across 13 league games for Brendan Rodgers’ side, leading to overwhelming calls from fans and pundits for him to be included in Gareth Southgate’s squad.

The 25-year-old collected his sole Three Lions cap in 2019 but was surprisingly selected by Southgate for the tournament after the manager had seemed reluctant to do so for several years. He survived a late injury scare against West Ham at the weekend and met up with the rest of the England squad at St. George’s Park, where he was greeted by royalty.

Maddison was handed the number 25 shirt for the tournament, losing out on the number 10 he usually wears for City to Raheem Sterling. However, Southgate then explained that the squad would be presented with their shirts by the Prince of Wales.

Prince William posed for photos with each player individually, as well as together with the squad, giving Maddison a moment to remember before heading out to Qatar. William, who is president of the FA, had a message for Southgate’s side before leaving their Burton-upon-Trent base: “We are all rooting for you. Enjoy it.”

The squad has now left the FA’s headquarters in order to fly out to Qatar from Birmingham. England will play their opening game of the tournament against Iran at 1 pm on Monday, November 21. The Three Lions will also face USA (November 25) and Wales (November 29) during the group stage.