Trent Alexander-Arnold and Conor Gallagher have been reminiscing on their childhood World Cup memories - and are hoping to go one step better than their England heroes.
Liverpool full-back Alexander-Arnold was only eight years old when England were knocked out of the 2006 World Cup quarter-finals by Portugal. He remembers Joe Cole's impact on that tournament and Zinedine Zidane's infamous headbutt that cost France the World Cup against Italy.
"Probably 2006 [is the first World Cup I can remember], I remember part of that," Alexander-Arnold told Mirror Football, on behalf of the JD King of the Game campaign. "I remember Joe Cole's goal against Sweden, I remember [Zinedine] Zidane's penalty. That's kind of it really, I was still young but I remember them.
"My favourite World Cup player is probably Zidane, like I said I remember his pen, his head butt, stuff like that. But obviously studying football and watching old games, I saw him in the '98 final where he scored two headers, so from what I've seen he always performed at a World Cup."
Chelsea midfielder Gallagher was just 10 four years later when Germany knocked England out of the 2010 World Cup in the last-16.
Jermain Defoe's goal in the 1-0 win over Slovenia from the group stage has stayed with him in what was a largely disappointing tournament for the Three Lions.
He said: "I remember when I was in primary school and the World Cup was on and they would let the whole school go into the hall to watch the game on the big projector.
"I remember England was playing and I think Defoe scored, I can't even remember who it was against, but I remember that quite well.
"So yeah, I must have been about nine or 10 when that was."
Alexander-Arnold has played only half an hour of football for England at this World Cup, coming off the bench for Kyle Walker in the group stage win over Wales.
Gallagher is yet to make an appearance in Qatar but both England internationals have childhood dreams of playing on the biggest stage for their country - and could get their opportunity to impress in the quarter-final against France.
"I've always seen it [The World Cup] as the biggest stage. It's the biggest competition in the world and that's [been] the dream," said Alexander-Arnold.
Gallagher added: "With three older brothers playing football, it was always a dream of mine. And yeah, [I'm] just trying to make the most of it now."
"It was always football. I was never that good at much else, to be honest. That's a lie, I was always good at every sport, but it was always going to be football."
* Trent Alexander-Arnold and Conor Gallagher in the JD Christmas campaign 'King of the Game', with JD exclusive product drops available online at jdsports.co.uk and in stores across the UK now.
