ENGLAND’S World Cup stars have been chalking up victories on the pitch, and now we know where some of them might be sharpening their competitive edge off it too.
A Kansas grandmother has revealed how she ended up selling a cherished family pool table to the Three Lions during their stay in Kansas City – and she reckons she deserves a share of the credit if Thomas Tuchel‘s men go all the way.
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England are based in Kansas for the World Cup Credit: Getty
Preparations are in full flow ahead of the Three Lions’ game against Ghana on Tuesday Credit: Getty
The Athletic reported that Lynne Brown, 68, from Overland Park, Kansas, sold the table to England’s support staff after listing it online earlier this month.
What started as a routine Facebook Marketplace sale quickly turned into something far more unusual when Brown received messages from people working with a World Cup team based in the city.
She said: “Both said, ‘Hey, I’m with a World Cup team based in Kansas City. Is this table still for sale?’
“At the initial point, I didn’t know who it was. I was probably guessing England, but I did not know for sure.”
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It soon became clear the buyers were representing the Three Lions, who wanted the table as part of their set-up at their Kansas City base.
Brown’s family had owned the table for around two decades after moving to the area from Denver, and it had become a fixture in the family home.
But with plans to renovate their basement, the family decided it was finally time to part ways with it.
The England camp wasted little time getting the deal over the line.
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Brown recalled: “By 7 o’clock, we had a whole crew of people and a big truck. A big truck.”
“It took five or six big dudes to move that thing. They had to stop midway and put it down.”
The table eventually changed hands for around £520 ($700), although her husband had grander ideas for the negotiations.
Brown laughed: “My husband was like, ‘Get tickets!’ I was like, ‘This table is not worth as much as these tickets are.’”
While she never got her hands on World Cup tickets, she did gain a brilliant story – and she’s already decided how it ends.
Brown joked: “If they win the World Cup, I’m totally taking credit.”
“I hope they’re playing on the table, I hope they’re having a blast. I hope the good energy that that table brought us carries right over into their game.”
The bizarre tale has already made local headlines in Kansas, with TV crews keen to hear how England’s stars ended up buying a family heirloom from a suburban grandmother.
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This year’s World Cup is like no other as a record-breaking 48 nations compete to lift football’s biggest prize.
England manager Thomas Tuchel is hoping to finally bring football home after a 60-year drought.
But footballing legends Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have other plans in what will likely be their final World Cup appearance.
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But perhaps the funniest reaction came from much closer to home.
Brown said: “My youngest grandson just turned six, and when his mom told him Nana’s going to be on TV, he said, ‘Is Nana in jail?’”
England’s players have been making themselves at home in Kansas City since arriving for the tournament, with pool tables, table tennis and gaming areas all helping recreate some familiar comforts during their World Cup campaign.
And if Harry Kane ends up lifting the trophy next month, don’t be surprised if Lynne Brown fancies a winner’s medal of her own.
