As the Three Lions celebrated their victory over Holland last night, one player looked a little more subdued as he was consoled by manager Gareth Southgate.
Midfielder Phil Foden, 23, looked dejected compared to his teammates after taking several shots during the game, but still failed to score the crucial goal.
Foden was visibly frustrated by his errors, including a shot that rebounded off the crossbar, and later described the night as “unlucky” despite a standout performance.
But there seems to be another big scorer emerging in the Foden household, as while Phil struggled to get his shots on target, his son Ronnie scored a goal so impressive it even won an award.
A snap posted to Ronnie Foden’s official Instagram account (which is run by his parents) showed the five-year-old at his Cheshire home carrying a bouquet of balloons complete with an inflatable football.
Five-year-old Ronnie Foden was awarded the prize for best shot on goal at school, just as his father Phil suffered frustrations on the pitch in Dortmund
The photo was captioned: ‘The winner with the best shot on goal at school.’
Ronnie is the eldest son of Phil and his partner Rebecca Cooke, who gave birth to her third child during the tournament.
He has won legions of fans on Instagram with his football-inspired photos and boasts 4 million followers and a blue tick. He is also said to be a millionaire.
Through his parents, the youngster has partnered with Propel Talent Group, a company that claims to manage “the careers of some of the UK’s most sought-after talent,” focusing on “digital talent.”
Manchester City midfielder Phil, 23, was one of the few dejected faces after England booked their place in the Euro 2024 final, having played his “best game ever” for his country but failed to score a goal.
Phil’s eldest son is a social media star in his own right and is believed to be a millionaire thanks to his brand partnerships.
While some of the posts on Ronnie’s account are adorable snapshots of him on the soccer field with his famous father, others are of the cute young man alone, posing in stylish outfits.
The account, which is verified on Instagram, shows Ronnie posing in photos with various tagged brands, including ethical clothing brand Little Bird and Manchester-based store The Couture Club.
Instagram accounts with more than a million followers are considered “mega influencers” and can earn more than £10,000 per post for a collaboration, while big celebrity accounts can earn more than £1 million, according to Influencer Marketing Hub.
Ronnie’s parents created the account after a meme of the little boy nicknamed ‘El Wey’ or ‘El Tipo’ went viral following Manchester City’s Champions League win over Inter Milan in Istanbul in June.
He became the team’s unofficial mascot thanks to some cute photos of him with his father on the pitch and a selfie with Erling Haaland in the locker room.
Earlier this year, Ronnie sent fans into a frenzy with his hilarious display after Manchester City secured the Premier League title for the fourth time.
Amid wild scenes at the Etihad Stadium following City’s 3-1 win over West Ham, Ronnie was caught attempting (and thankfully failing) to open a bottle of champagne on the pitch.
The little boy looked very focused as he crouched next to a football, dressed in a Manchester City shirt, and tried to uncork the bottle.
Photographers captured the moment little Ronnie Foden, 5, attempted to open a bottle of champagne as his father Phil celebrated with his Manchester City teammates after their historic win on Sunday afternoon.
Stay put: Despite his best efforts, little Ronnie thankfully failed to pull the cork out of the bottle, even though he is 13 years shy of the legal drinking age.
Phil stands with his girlfriend Rebecca Cooke next to the Premier League trophy, while holding hands with Ronnie and his daughter, True.
At one point he even pushed the bottle to the ground, but despite his best efforts the cork stayed in place, perhaps for the best considering he’s 13 years away from being able to legally drink it.
Ronnie had earlier held his talented father’s hand as 23-year-old Phil Foden emerged from the tunnel at the start of the thrilling match.
After the final whistle, he was again seen standing proudly next to the winners’ trophy, alongside his England player father, his mother Rebecca Cooke and his younger sister, True.
Despite Phil’s dejected facial expressions at the end of the semi-final, which saw Southgate put his arm around the midfielder and give him what appeared to be a pep talk, the England manager later praised Foden in the post-match interview.
Foden had been substituted by the time of Watkins’ wonder goal but had previously had a shot cleared off the line and hit the post in a much-improved display from the Manchester City playmaker.
Speaking after his side’s historic win, Southgate felt Foden had a big impact on the game after previously struggling to replicate his club form for the national team.
“Thank goodness he played in an England shirt and had a massive, massive influence on the game,” Southgate said.
Foden was taken off with around 10 minutes left on the clock as part of a double change, with Southgate also replacing captain Kane, and Cole Palmer and Ollie Watkins coming into action.
The 23-year-old said after the match: “I feel like it (the final) is going to be the biggest match of my career.”
Asked about the goal that almost hit the bar, the midfielder chuckled and said: “I’d say I was a bit unlucky tonight. I had a few chances but… the most important thing is that the team wins and I feel like tonight was my best game in an England shirt.”
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