Dan Burn: 'Every kid's dream is to play in a World Cup'

Dan Burn was only too pleased to admit that he’s “definitely had worse weeks” following a whirlwind few days.

The defender received his first England call-up at any level last Friday, when he was named in Thomas Tuchel’s squad to play Albania and Latvia.

He followed that up with a goal at Wembley Stadium on Sunday as he helped his boyhood club Newcastle United to a 2-1 win in the Carabao Cup Final.

And just over 12 hours later, he was checking in at St. George’s Park for the first time as he joined the Three Lions squad ahead of their opening 2026 World Cup qualifiers, also on the familiar territory of Wembley.

“It started off when the manager FaceTimed us on Tuesday, he said they were debating whether they were calling us up,” revealed Burn.

"By six o’clock on Thursday night, I hadn’t heard anything so I said to my wife I didn’t think it was happening. And then I got a text at 10pm and I was like 'yes!’ straight away.

“He [Tuchel] said, 'first of all, not professional being in bed for 10pm', so I apologised for that. Then he said he’s been ringing everyone that hadn't made the squad and said he needed to end the day on a good note.

“I admit I did struggle to sleep on Thursday night after that!”

Burn’s journey has been an inspirational one, having started off with his hometown club of Blyth Town and then Blyth Spartans before a move to Darlington as a teenager.

His pathway then took him from non-League to Fulham, via loan spells with Yeovil Town and Birmingham City as he began to craft his game.

Moves to Wigan Athletic and Brighton & Hove Albion followed, where he was part of the Seagulls’ team who established themselves in the Premier League before his dream move came in January 2022 as his boyhood team Newcastle United swooped to take him back to his native north-east.

"I'm not just coming here to be a cheerleader and help the boys out, I want to play,” he added.

"I feel like I’m a leader on and off the pitch and I feel as though fit into that role.

“I know it's going to be tough with all of these international players here and I feel like I've been doubted a lot over my career. There's not a lot of people at Darlington who would say I'd be sat here doing a press conference for England.

"I've waited a long time for this opportunity and I didn't want to spoil it. He [Tuchel] said I've been playing well for a long time.

“I feel being in that first camp is important. It means I am there, but I don't want to be there for no reason. I want to be there because I have proved [I should] be there.

"Every little kid's dream is to play in a World Cup. I’d never played any international football, and I did think it had passed us by at 32.

“But when the new manager came in, it was that feeling of 'you never know'."