BEN Chilwell has paid a touching tribute to his dad who has died following a chronic illness.
The Chelsea star’s father Wayne, a native New Zealander, passed away after a “hard year”.
In a powerful tribute on Tuesday, Ben said Wayne was the “most loving dad” who he will “miss every single day”.
Sharing a picture of Wayne in the car, Ben wrote on Instagram: “The reason I am where I am.
“The most loving dad, who always put everyone before himself and made everyone smile and laugh.
“I am so glad we got to live my dream together, and especially you seeing me make my debut for England.
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“But more importantly we shared so many amazing memories away from football which I will remember forever.
“I will miss you every single day Dad. I love you so much.”
Teammate and fellow England star Mason Mount sent his condolences to Ben, writing under the tribute: “Sending all the love brother”.
Three Lions teammates Harry Maguire sent a heart emoji while Jude Bellingham wrote “sorry for your loss brother”.
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Ben’s sister Alex Chilwell also paid tribute to her dad who she said died following the “hardest year”.
Sharing a black and white snap of Wayne relaxing in the sun on Instagram, she confirmed the tragic news: “Love you forever dad.
“The hardest year but you never stopped smiling.
“So grateful for the time we got together.
“I am so lost without you. Look out for me up there. I love you.”
The England international, 26, is yet to comment on his dad’s passing on social media.
He said previously that his life philosophy was inspired by his father’s love of the Kiwi team All Blacks.
Chilwell said: “I’ve definitely been made aware of it by my dad.
“He’d tell me all the time the All Blacks are the best team to ever play sport and the way they go about things is very proper.
“He tried to bring me up on a lot of their ethics and morals. It is about just doing everything right, not taking any shortcuts, being respectful.
“Also, whenever you put your mind on something, do it properly. Do it 100 per cent or don’t do it at all.”
This inspiration led to Chilwell getting a tattoo of New Zealand on his arm.
Wayne emigrated to England in 1993, three years prior to his footballer son’s birth.
Before the Euros 2021 final, he wrote his son a good luck message.
Wayne told the Telegraph: “I’m so proud of what you have achieved, whether it was a 12-year-old getting in the local team, or a 14-year-old in academy football, or now at 24, a senior England international.
“We have so many amazing memories of you as a footballer and also just a little boy doing the things you loved.
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“When you were four years old you loved that song ‘Step in Time’ from the original Mary Poppins movie and you would run and run around the sofa pretending you were Dick Van Dyke!”
A Chelsea spokesman said: “Neither the club or Ben will be commenting on his dad’s passing.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
