Ollie Watkins: From England’s forgotten understudy to folk hero

Till 90+1 minutes of England’s semifinal against Netherlands, Ollie Watkins was Harry Kane’s understudy, struggling to get a look in the team. After the final whistle, the 28-year-old morphed into a national hero, sealing England’s place in the final with a 2-1 win.

As the Aston Villa striker wheeled away in celebration after breaching the Dutch defence in the dying embers of a finely balanced match, his expression was that of unbridled joy, occasionally betraying a sense of disbelief. This was not in the script but in Berlin on Wednesday, the best laid plans were torn up and scattered under the night sky as Watkins became the unlikely protagonist in a tale that will be passed down through generations.

Understudy no more

Up until Watkins’ moment of magic, it looked like a foregone conclusion that the match was headed to Extra Time like all of England’s previous knockout fixtures in this tournament. With the tie precariously balanced at 1-1 courtesy of a Harry Kane penalty and a Xabi Simons thunderbolt in the first half, England manager Southgate played the ace up his sleeve as he subbed off Kane to bring in Watkins in the 81st minute.

And just like that, the complexion of the match changed. With the fresh legs of Watkins in front instead of a tiring Kane, England started to press high leading to the Dutch to give away possession. And that pressure counted as Cole Palmer on the right played a simple pass to Watkins who had his back towards goal. With De Vrij breathing down his neck, the striker turned and smashed a low shot from a tight angle into the far corner.

“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 in the post-match chat.

"The goal, that's my bread and butter…"

Ollie Watkins on his half-time words of wisdom with Cole Palmer 🤩 pic.twitter.com/JXE0wZps3T

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) July 10, 2024

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The striker who has had a tremendous season with his club Aston Villa, scoring 19 goals in all competitions, did not get a sniff into the England first team with Kane and even Brentford’s Ivan Toney ahead of him in the pecking order. On any other night, the bet would be on Toney getting the nod against the Dutch but Southgate decided to opt for something different.

Watkins was an unfamiliar opponent to face for the Netherlands, having played just 21 minutes in the Euro in a drab 1-1 draw with Denmark in the Group stages. Any other player in his place would have suffered from a lack of confidence when thrusted into such an important match with just those 21 mins under his belt but the Torquay-born forward has always been different.

The player who guided Villa to their first ever Champions League after finishing fourth in the Premier League last season, had reached double figures for league goals and assists in the EPL as early as February this year, becoming the first Villa player since Dwight Yorke in the 1995/96 season to achieve that feat.

“I just have to be ready when called upon. That’s the mindset I’ve got. You’ve seen it in the Champions League – Joselu didn’t play much across the season but he came on and scored two very important goals. Real Madrid wouldn’t have won it without him,” Watkins had said in an interview to the Guardian before England’s first Group Stage match against Serbia.

On Wednesday night, Watkins channeled his inner Nostradamus to make his prediction come true. What part he will play against Spain in the upcoming final on Sunday is still up in the air but the striker has already made an indelible mark in the annals of English football history.

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