Andy Milne will be in Dallas for England’s first match against Croatia on June 17th and has tickets to every match up to the final.
England’s No. 1 superfan is selling his home to help fund his trip to this summer’s World Cup. Andy Milne rose to fame after he was spotted holding a replica of the famous Jules Rimet trophy at a tournament in Qatar.
A photo of him celebrating the 3-0 win over Senegal in the Round of 16 was published in the Mirror. And because the image went viral, he was soon dubbed the “Steve McClaren Lookalike.” Andy, 62, a retired teacher, enjoys a cult following among fans, having played in eight World Cups after the men’s and once in Australia in 2023, and is currently planning his 10th World Cup after England.
He plans to stay in the US for seven weeks and has tickets to all the games leading up to the final. However, he put his holiday home in Northwich, Cheshire on the market for £350,000 to fund his trip.
England superfan Andy Milne is selling his home to finance his World Cup trip (Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
read more: Councilor Livingston welcomes new funding for West Lothian youth hubread more: Netflix fans say the same with the announcement of a true crime documentary with a twist
“I would love to see the entire tournament,” he said. “I’m going to the US on June 3rd and will be there for seven weeks. So it’s going to cost me a lot of money.”
He added, “I always try to go cheap if I can. I couchsurf as much as possible. I’m lucky to have friends in Mexico, Dallas, and Vancouver. Travel is expensive. I bought international flights early so I could change my departure time by 10 minutes.”
Andy will travel to Dallas for England’s first international match against Croatia on June 17th. Andy is planning a road trip to Memphis to visit Elvis Presley’s former home, Graceland, and will see several tribute performances along the way.
Andy Milne in Qatar with his daughter Leila, who turns 30 on Monday (Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
Andy’s memoir, ‘That World Cup Guy’, follows his journey as a football fan for over 40 years. It covers his travels around the world, from camping out in Spain during his first World Cup in 1982 to interacting with fans on the streets of Rio. It is scheduled to be released on May 25th and is currently available for pre-order on Amazon.
Andy, who returned from Thailand to watch England, kept his second home as a rental property.
“I’m selling it to go to the World Cup, so it’s on the market,” he said. “The last tournament in Qatar was a gift to myself. It’s something I’ve been saving up for years. We’ve had a second home for 27 years, so I felt it was the perfect time to make some money.”
Andy brings a World Cup replica to every game as many Three Lions fans ask him for selfies. “I call it ‘Sophie the Trophy’ after my daughter,” said the England superfan, father of Laila, who turns 30 on Monday, and Sophie, now 27. “I’m recognized everywhere and I’m recognized by the Scottish fans. Scots people are always buying me drinks. One person for some reason gave me a pina colada, another bought me a rum and lime.”
Andy Milne and his daughter Layla head to Australia for the 2023 Women’s World Cup (Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
Andy, a former head of science at Grange School in Northwich, played in his first World Cup in Spain in 1982 at the age of 19. He continued to follow the team even after all his belongings were stolen. That was the beginning of an amazing journey as an England fan.
He has watched so many matches for England’s official fan club that he is now a ‘top capper’. This means you can now buy tickets to all of England’s group games in the United States, guaranteeing you a ticket to the final. He joked, “I don’t really think I look like Steve McClaren, but in that photo I did!”
