A familiar figure stood by the side of the pitch in Blankenhain, watching the humiliation unfold. An impromptu 11-a-side match between an outclassed English media team and backroom staff from the Football Association was progressing in predictably grisly fashion earlier this week – full context: they had an extremely fit and motivated Jimmy Floyd-Hasselbaink up front – when I trundled up the right flank and realised that the man on the touchline was Kyle Walker, England’s vice-captain and one of the greatest right-backs of his generation.
“You know,” I said. “This is actually pretty intimidating.”
