'My dad helped England win the World Cup'

Kicking off their World Cup campaign against Croatia , England are hoping to become world champions for a second time and end 60 years of hurt.

But the man who was responsible for tending to any pain for players before they lifted the Jules Rimet trophy hailed from Malvern, Worcestershire.

Dr Neil Phillips, who died in 2015 aged 83, was the team doctor for the infamous 1966 winning squad and worked with stars like Bobby Moore and Sir Geoff Hurst.

"He was so proud to be doctor to the England football team," his daughter Annie Onions recalls ahead of this summer's tournament in North America.

"What amazed him when he was on the pitch in 1966 before the final [was that] he was from Wales, his favourite sports were cricket and rugby, he spent six months doing gynaecology as part of his training, and he ends up doctor to the England World Cup team."

"It was always a pinch me moment [for him] standing there on that pitch and being part of it," she added.

Phillips' role landed him an appearance on Top of the Pops alongside the Three Lions squad when their World Cup song, 'Back Home', shot to fame four years on from their World Cup triumph.

His bond with England skipper Moore was one of the highlights of his stint with the national team.