Dan Burn wants to play in World Cup and insists he doesn't want to waste any opportunity

The European qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup will kick off, with England taking on Albania at Wembley Stadium. Newcastle defender Dan Burn, who was selected for the England national team for the first time, said that participating in the World Cup is a childhood dream for all players, and he does not want to waste any opportunity.

It is worth mentioning that Dan Burn, 32, scored a goal in the earlier English League Cup final to help Newcastle defeat Liverpool and win the championship.

When talking about the process of being called up by England coach Tuchel, Dan Burn shared, "The coach had a video call with me at the time and he said the team was discussing whether to call me up. But after a few days, I hadn't received any news, so I told my wife that there might be no good news. As a result, I received a text message in the evening, and I immediately replied excitedly, 'Great'!"

"Tuchel joked that it was unprofessional to go to bed at 10 o'clock, and I apologized. Then he said he had contacted the players who were not selected and said he needed to end the day on a good note. Frankly speaking, I was so excited that I couldn't sleep that night."

Dan Bowen continued, "I came here not just to be a cheerleader, I want to play. I think I play a leadership role both on and off the court, and I am capable of such a position."

"I know the competition here is fierce, the team is full of top players, and I have been questioned a lot throughout my career. No one even believed that I would be able to sit here and attend a press conference in England one day. I have been waiting for this opportunity for a long time and don't want to waste it. Tuchel told me that I have been performing well for a long time."

In addition, Dan Bowen also emphasized, "I think it is very meaningful to be selected for the national team for the first time. It means that I have stood on this stage, but I don't want to just stand here for no reason. I want to use my strength to prove that I deserve this opportunity."

"Every kid's dream is to play in the World Cup. I never played for my country and, to be honest, by the time I was 32, I thought I had missed my chance. But when the new coach took over, I got a glimmer of hope, so you never know what will happen in the future."