TONIGHT, England and Germany’s stars will do battle in what promises to be an epic last-16 tie at the Euros.
But before they were men, they were just boys dreaming of football stardom.
From giant goalie Manuel Neuer to legendary defender Mats Hummels, they all were kids once hoping to make a splash at a major tournament.
And our Three Lions heroes were no different either! Here’s what England and Germany stars looked like when they children.
MANUEL NEUER
With a confident swagger and a touch of arrogance, Neuer is one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
But as a kid, butter wouldn’t melt…
You can still see the resemblance with his cheeky grin and big wide blue eyes.
JORDAN PICKFORD
From one No1 to another. Pickford looks equally as cute as Neuer does in his baby photo.
Toddler Jordan sported a curly blonde mop in this amazing throwback snap.
In fact, you could say there’s a resemblance between the two keepers – long lost brothers?
THOMAS MUELLER
German goal threat Mueller was a boyhood Bayern Munich fan, judging by this photo.
But the fact the forward is also wearing goalkeeper gloves suggests he might not have discovered his best position upfront until late.
Still, he was student of the game even then reading up all the stories in a footy manual.
JACK GREALISH
England’s poster-boy for this year’s Euros, Grealish grew up in Birmingham.
And he’s always been as a cute as a button, wearing his boyhood Aston Villa shirt with pride as a five-year-old.
However, his hair wasn’t the flowing locks we’re used to seeing, and he preferred a more closed crop cut.
KAI HAVERTZ
It wasn’t that long ago that Chelsea’s Havertz, 22, was still a boy.
He began his youth career with Bayer Leverkusen, who he can be seen playing for.
Even then Kai is seen running with the ball and looking up for a killer pass.
RAHEEM STERLING
Before he became a superstar at Manchester City, and before that Liverpool, the London-born winger was another hopeful at QPR.
In 2010, he moved to the Reds from the Hoops for a fee of just £500,000.
At 15, we saw Sterling showing off his talent on Sky Sports show Soccer AM for their infamous Skill School segment.
MATS HUMMELS
As a kid, Hummels was treated to ski holidays.
And he certainly looks like he’s enjoying himself on the slopes, as he’s spotted running on the snow.
Hummels looks far different to the 6ft 3in centre half that’s dominated the German backline for years.
HARRY MAGUIRE
Another towering defender, but on our side, Maguire grew up in Sheffield.
In this photo, he’s believed to be about five – sporting a trendy bucket cap to shield him from the sun.
That prominent ‘slabhead’ was there as a youngster.
TONI KROOS
He’s hardly changed at all.
In fairness, a teen Kroos doesn’t look too different to the Rolls-Royce of a midfielder we see today.
Standing proudly next to his mum and dad in his local team’s strip, he looks ready to be a footballer.
HARRY KANE
It’s no secret now that Three Lions captain Kane was an Arsenal fan growing up.
The England striker even trained with their U8 team as a youngster before switching allegiances to Spurs.
He even dyed his hair red – he loved the Gunners so much.
For Spurs fans, though, all his forgiven. And if he’s the match-winner against Germany, he will be painting the town the red.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
