Music legend Ed Sheeran has played a secret gig for the England World Cup squad at their US training base.
The set included several of the die-hard Ipswich Town fan’s classics including Shape of You, Bad Habits and Perfect.
Insiders said the Three Lions were tapping their feet and singing along to the gig which happened early this week after their 2-0 win against Panama.
Ed – who often wears an Ipswich shirt when performing – was secretly driven into the England team £250-a-night Inn at Meadowbank hotel in Kansas City.
The singer posted pictures of himself with the team on his Instagram and wrote: ‘Went to go sing for the England lads at their training camp.
England’s players gather round Ed Sheeran after he played a secret gig for them this week
Harry Kane hugs Sheeran at England’s training base. Sheeran wrote: ‘In Harry Kane we trust’
‘Have done this the last few tournaments and love it, they’re very good blokes.’
Sheeran also posted an image of himself with England goal machine and skipper Harry Kane and he added: ‘In Harry Kane we trust.’
Sheeran also played for the England team at the base in Blankenhain during Euro 2024 before the quarter-final against Switzerland.
It has also been rumoured that he will be a guest at close friend Taylor Swift’s wedding to Travis Kelce, reportedly taking place on Friday.
An insider told the Daily Mail: ‘It was part of the recovery session after the Panama game and went down really well with the lads.
‘They are big Ed Sheeran fans and he played all his big hit classics and they joined in with some as well, it was all part of the reward for winning the group.
‘Ed has played before at tournaments for the lads and at St George’s and is always welcome – as far as I know he didn’t go to any of the matches in the tournament.
‘There were no wives or partners or any other family, it was just the team.’
Three Lions fans have begun arriving in Mexico City ahead of their crunch tie against Mexico – and among them a fan who told the Daily Mail her boyfriend has promised to propose if England win the World Cup.
The last 16 match will take place in the early hours of Monday morning at the famous Azteca Stadium where England played Argentina in the 1986 World Cup and were knocked out by Diego Maradona’s cheating Hand of God goal.
England are due to fly to Mexico from their Kansas City training camp later on Friday and have two days to acclimatise to the altitude and which manager Thomas Tuchel has already said is not enough.
They will land at a less used airport in Toluca and then travel under heavy police escort to their hotel in the Santa Fe district of Mexico City, but the FA is keen to keep the exact location secret.
They want to avoid a repeat of what happened to Ecuador who were kept up for several hours the night before their match against Mexico by local fans playing music, revving car engines and letting off fireworks.
Meanwhile Oasis rocker Liam Gallagher has fueled a war of words with one of Mexico’s biggest musicians Fernando Olvera, after the Mancunian legend wrote England would win 5-0.
England’s players fly to Mexico City on Friday ahead of their last-16 game against Mexico
Olvera said: ‘The Oasis singer said Mexico is going to lose to England 5-0. Come on… no way, get real, dude! 5-0? Calm down. See you Sunday, let’s see how we do.’
While another local who posted a video of another Mexican classic singer was sarcastically told by Liam:’ I sing that in the shower first thing every morning.’
The Wonderwall star added: ‘I just want to clarify one thing: obviously I was joking when I said England was going to beat Mexico 5-0. I think it’ll be more like 3-0 in favour of England.’
Officials are planning to put an exclusion zone around England’s hotel while they are in Mexico City to prevent a repeat of what happened to the Ecuador team.
The South American team have already complained to FIFA about the unsporting conduct that marred their preparations and the FA know that there is a strong possibility their hotel will be posted on social media.
As a result, the team have been given ear plugs and soothing music recordings to help them get to sleep in case of disturbances.
