England’s Euro 2024 semi-final hero Ollie Watkins could spark a boom in babies being named in honour of the Aston Villa striker.
But the Premier League’s favourite pantomime villain Neal Maupay was first in pipping them to the post.
Watkins became a national treasure on Wednesday night after he fired England into Sunday’s European Championship final against Spain – live on talkSPORT.
He was only on the pitch for a matter of minutes after replacing Harry Kane, before slotting home in the 90th minute to seal a 2-1 win over the Netherlands.
The 28-year-old is the name on every England fans lips, and he could on the minds of expectant parents should the Three Lions end 58 years of hurt in Germany.
But Everton marksman Maupay has already beaten them to it, having named his son after Watkins following the two years he spent playing alongside him at Brentford between 2017-2019.
Speaking on the talkSPORT Breakfast Show, Maupay said of Watkins: “I played with him, Ollie’s my friend.
“Honestly, top goal from him, a proper striker’s goal, you know. Touch and finish. So I’m very happy for him.
“I have a story for you. I named my son after Ollie Watkins.
“When I first met him about eight years ago at Brentford, I loved the name and I said if I have a son one day, I’ll call him Ollie and I called him Ollie.
“Actually I spoke with him last week to let him know.”
It was only nine years ago that Watkins was embroiled in a relegation scrap with Weston-super Mare in the National League South.
His ten goals during his loan spell from Exeter guided the Seagulls to safety, with his successful stint seeing him break into the first team at St James Park.
Ed Bliss, who is Weston-super Mare’s club director at Woodspring Stadium, has hailed Watkins over his meteoric rise.
Bliss told talkSPORT: “He’s an inspiration for our academy and the rest of the club, he was a lovely guy when he was with us, a good grounded bloke.
“He integrated into the fans, the kids loved him, he was just good to be around.
“[Game against Holland] was just special for him, proper special. You could see there was something there. You could see he was a quality player.”
I played with Ollie Watkins and named my son after England goal hero
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News Summary:
- I named my son after England’s Euro 2024 hero Ollie Watkins after playing alongside him for two years
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