Just a day ago, Ollie Watkins stood behind Harry Kane and Ivan Toney in the pecking order for England strikers. Now, he is the hero whose goal has fired the Three Lions into the final of the Euro 2024, a step away from their first title since 1966. (More Football News)
Things moved quite fast for the Aston Villa forward and so did he when his turn came.
England and Netherlands were locked at 1-1 in the semi-final with less than 10 minutes left in the regulation time. A spot in the final was on the line and on the line was also history. England were chasing their first final away from home in hope for a first trophy since the 1966 FIFA World Cup.
Gareth Southgate then decided to take a gamble.
With just 21 minutes under his belt in Euro 2024, Watkins was thrust on to the big stage by Southgate. That too in for skipper Harry Kane. The stakes could not be any higher but Watkins was also coming with some form.
The Aston Villa striker had a career-best Premier League season where his 19 goals helped the Villans finish fourth. Watkins' heroics played a big role in helping Aston Villa create history by booking a Champions League berth for the first time. Another piece of history awaited Watkins on Wednesday.
His fresh legs were a big boost for England upfront and just as the game entered the stoppage time, Southgate's gamble paid off. A low shot into the far corner made Watkins the hero and powered England into their first-ever title match away from home.
Watkins had been waiting for this moment.
“Unbelievable, I’ve been waiting for that moment for weeks. It’s taken a lot of hard work to get where I am today. I swear on my kids’ lives that I told Cole ‘we are going to come on today, and you are going to set me up'," Watkins said after the match.
Ollie Watkins Player Profile
Born in 1995, Watkins joined Brentford as a 22-year-old in 2017. He was the joint top scorer in the EFL Championship in 2019-20 and was awarded the Player Of The Year. That season helped him grab a deal with Aston Villa and he has been playing for the club since 2020.
With 19 goals last season, Watkins finished as the joint fourth top scorer in the Premier League. He was awarded the Playmaker of the Season for having the most assists, 13, in the season.
Ollie Watkins England stats
Appearances: 14
Goals: 4
Ollie Watkins Premier League stats
Appearances: 146
Goals: 59
