Chilwell's dreams of appearing at a first World Cup were dashed last month when he sustained a hamstring injury against Dinamo Zagreb but he has been supporting his England team-mates from afar while working on his rehabilitation.

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The full-back has won 17 caps for the Three Lions since making his debut in September 2018 and was part of the squad that reached the Euro 2020 final 18 months ago.

Here, he recalls World Cups of yesteryear...

First World Cup you remember?

‘I remember watching the one that Spain won in 2010 because of Andres Iniesta’s goal in the final. That would have been my earliest memory, and then after that the one that Germany won in 2014.

What are your memories of watching growing up?

‘I was at school so it was literally just get home and watch it in the living room or at friends’ houses in the evenings. I remember one time we had a party after school on the Friday when we were about 14 and we all went round to my friend’s house to watch Colombia.

‘James Rodriguez scored a really good goal, which stands out for me because me and my friends were all together but none of us knew who he was at the time.

‘As bad as it sounds, there weren’t many great memories of the World Cup as an England fan growing up. Even though we’ve had brilliant teams and I’ve loved all the players that have played for England and had a lot of idols, there were few moments that stand out significantly.’

Where did you watch the last World Cup?

‘I was on holiday in Ibiza and then went back to Leicester for pre-season for the last few games. That was wicked because I’m good friends with a lot of players who were in that squad and that summer was just brilliant, seeing how everything was around England and how much support the players had.

‘Even in Ibiza there were so many England fans about. That was probably my first good memory where I’ve seen the whole country get behind the team and get carried away with it.’

Favourite World Cup song?

‘Three Lions is obviously the iconic one from growing up. It gets in the charts and it’s just so catchy. Everyone knows all the words to it and obviously it was massive last summer with the Euros being played here in England.

‘It was that and Sweet Caroline, which they started to play at Wembley when we won and everyone was just buzzing off it. That became the song of the tournament for us.’

Favourite World Cup goal?

‘It’s probably Robin van Persie’s header for Netherlands against Spain in 2014. Daley Blind played a big diagonal out to him and he finished it with a brilliant diving header.’

Favourite World Cup kit?

‘I had the England Umbro kit with Rooney on the back, it was the white home strip with red trim. I guess it was around 2010 so skinhead Rooney and he was my favourite player.

‘The Nigeria kit in 2018 also got so much praise and that was wicked. I was at Leicester so a few of the Nigerian boys in our squad were in their team so I actually asked Wilfred Ndidi for one of his shirts. That stands out as a pretty cool one.’

Stadium you’d like to play a World Cup final in?

‘Winning a World Cup final at Wembley in front of your home fans would be the best. If not in England, I’d probably say the Bernabeu.

‘I also loved playing at the San Siro so that would be good but I think the Bernabeu would be a step up from that.’

Best players you’ve seen at a World Cup?

‘Zinedine Zidane was the one and also Iniesta the year they won in 2010. His performances were unbelievable and that Spain team was just one of the best in history.

‘At the recent one in 2018, it was Croatia. I wasn’t at Chelsea then and I remember thinking that Kova, Modric and Rakitic was an unbelievable midfield three. Obviously they got to the final as well and lost to France, who had Pogba, N’Golo and numerous top players.

‘There wasn’t really an individual who stood out in 2018, it was more how good the two finalists and were especially in midfield.’

Tell us about your memories of the Panini sticker albums?

‘I used to miss a school meal here and there during the week and save up whatever money I had left over, then go down on a Friday after school with the £3 or £4 spare I had left over. The bus would always leave 10 minutes after school finished so we’d run down to the shop, which was quite a run actually, and we’d buy as many Panini stickers as we could afford.

‘There were a few times where we missed the bus and then had to explain to our parents why they had to leave work to come and pick us up from school, and also why we hadn’t eaten all week!

‘It was funny because we used to open the stickers on the way home on the bus and you had your book which had all the different teams. It was the excitement and the thrill of seeing if you could get someone good or not in the packs you open.’