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England players will see a familiar face when they take on Croatia in their World Cup opener on Wednesday.
The Three Lions’ bow in Dallas will be officiated by experienced Frenchman Clement Turpin, who took charge of England’s thumping 5-0 qualifying win in Serbia – widely viewed as their best performance since Thomas Tuchel took charge.
Prior to the thrashing in September, Clement previously refereed England’s uninspiring 0-0 group stage draw with Slovenia at Euro 2024.
His presence may bring back bad memories for some of Tuchel’s players, given he was the man in the middle in the 2022 Champions League Final, when Liverpool went down 1-0 to Real Madrid.
England’s Jordan Henderson started that night in Paris, while Marcus Rashford and Dean Henderson were in the Manchester United squad when they went down to Villarreal in the 2021 Europa League Final, another match Turpin took control of.
Rashford started for United and scored in an 11-10 penalty shootout defeat, while Henderson was on the bench.
The Three Lions’ bow in Dallas will be officiated by experienced Frenchman Clement Turpin
Turpin poses for his official World Cup photo ahead of refereeing England’s clash with Croatia
Some have joked that the whistle-blower may appear familiar for different reasons, given his perceived resemblance to Arsenal’s Belgium star Leandro Trossard.
He will lead an all-French team, with the fourth official and reserve assistant referee hailing from Mexico.
Meanwhile, England’s Anthony Taylor has been handed his first World Cup gig. He will take charge of Uzbekistan versus Colombia in Mexico City on Wednesday.
Which England star has 7 GCSEs? Who has lost half of his finger? Test your knowledge of Thomas Tuchel’s squad with our exclusive quiz HERE.
