From rags to riches – how England stars went from living in council houses to buying million pound mansions with pools, lakes and cinemas
For a group of lads raised in council houses, who played their first football matches on the streets of their estates, the England stars' lives today couldn't be more different
OUR Lions have roared at the World Cup, and it may be something to do with the fact that this likeable young side are a gritty bunch of lads hungry for success.
Gareth Southgate's heroes are no bunch of pampered prima donnas - most of these players come from humble roots and have fought hard every step of the way.
Our boys are also as down-to-Earth as professional footballers can be, with a raft of incredible rags-to-riches stories behind the names hoping to lift the World Cup at the weekend.
And for some of the Lions facing Croatia on Wednesday, a World Cup semi-final couldn't be further from where they started out...
Dele Alli - From council house to £2m countryside palace
THEN: Spurs' midfielder Dele Alli could only have dreamed of playing at the World Cup when he was just a boy kicking a ball around the rough Bradwell area of Milton Keynes, where houses can be worth less than £110,000.
Dele grew up in a council house with his mum, Denise Alli, and his brother and two sisters, all by different dads.
However, the area was so overrun with gangs that Denise handed Dele over to a couple living in a more affluent part of town when he was 13, to unofficially adopt him and offer him a chance of making it out of poverty.
He spent the rest of his childhood living six miles away with close friend and fellow footballer Harry Hickford and his parents.
NOW: Dele has reaped the benefits of making it big as a footballer, living in a £2m mansion in Hertfordshire with model girlfriend Ruby Mae.
The lavish four-bedroom home comes complete with a gym, underground garage, wine cellar and home cinema.
Their house is one of seven four-bed houses in a gated cul-de-sac in the countryside and overlooks an exclusive golf course.
Jordan Pickford - from £100,000 Tyne terrace house to £1.5m mansion
THEN: Living in a terraced family home in a small Tyne and Wear town, Jordan had a modest childhood, if his own Twitter is anything to go by.
Fans unearthed a series of hilarious tweets from 2012 where the World Cup hero laments not having Sky TV in his room, describing Freeview as "soul destroying" at night.
And his family home, a terraced house at the end of a small cul de sac, only adds to Pickford's down-to-Earth background, with the modest house situated in an area where the average three-bed is worth less than £100,000.
NOW: England's young stopper now hangs his gloves in a five-bedroom mansion in Cheshire - the classy area which is home to many of football's biggest names.
And these days, England's penalty-shootout saviour can enjoy all the Sky TV he can handle in the comfort of his mansion, with fiancee Megan Davison to keep him company.
He moved to this luxurious new-build pad, also in Tyne and Wear, while he was playing for Sunderland, but now he's on the books at Everton it's thought that he has also added a £1.5m home in swanky Cheshire to his portfolio.
The neighbourhood is famous for its footballer residents, and boasts glitzy bars, restaurants and hair salons which the WAGs frequent.
John Stones - from sleepy Yorkshire village to 'baller pad
THEN: Header hero John Stones grew up in a small Yorkshire village where houses are worth around £180,000.
Since he was seven, he was on the books at Barnsley, and he used to kick a ball up and down this street, which really couldn't be much further from the limelight.
NOW: The Man City centre half lives a world away from his quiet village family home, having moved to swanky Cheshire - the stereotypical home of the Manchester-based footballer.
John has a £3.5 million mansion there with its own lake, spa and sprawling grounds, so he can still enjoy some of the tranquillity of rural life while basking in the trappings of fame.
His six-bedroom pad also has a huge indoor swimming pool, and gleaming marble floors to compliment the tasteful decor.
The private lake makes for a stunning spot to unwind, and there's also a games room with a pool table and air hockey if John wants to take a well-deserved break after England's triumph in Russia.
Marcus Rashford - from Manchester terrace to Cheshire palace
THEN: Marcus Rashford's family home sits among a traditional terrace in Manchester, and you'd never guess from looking at it that a star was born there.
Ever since he was seven, Marcus has been on the books at Manchester United, although the 20-year-old star doesn't have to think back far to remember a time before he was a household name.
Like many of his teammates, the home where he grew up is as unassuming as they come, with no garage and a small front garden barely big enough to kick a ball in.
NOW: Marcus has followed many of his teammates to Cheshire, where he lives in a custom-built £2m mansion with plenty of room for his growing car collection.
A far cry from the terraced house where he was raised, the six-bedroom home is nestled among a huddle of trees in an area crawling with top-tier football talent - and the star has brought his parents out of their old home to live there with him too.
Raheem Sterling - from crime-ridden estate to country pile
THEN: Raheem hasn't had it easy on his route to the world stage. The Jamaican-born star player's father was murdered when he was just two, and he had to emigrate to Britain and start his life over again when he was five.
When they arrived in the UK, Raheem and his mother settled in West London, where they lived, aptly, in the shadow of Wembley stadium - in an area where you can still buy property for around £140,000.
He lived on an estate known for crimes and drugs, but football offered Raheem a way out and a chance to make it big.
NOW: The pacy attacker was invaluable against Sweden, pulling the defence to pieces with his lightning-fast runs and winning the corners which this England side have relied on.
Worth over £40m, Raheem currently plies his trade for Man City, and lives with his girlfriend Paige Milian and his young son in a stunning £3m mansion in Cheshire.
The five-bedroom pad boasts all the perks of rural life, with acres of land, huge natural ponds and a paddock, and the home is so tucked away that all of Raheem's neighbours are all farmers.
Meanwhile, the interior is swish and ultra-modern, with slate-grey walls and classy gold fixtures - so one more trophy wouldn't look too out of place on his kitchen table.
Kyle Walker - from modest flat to ultimate dad pad
THEN: Kyle grew up on a council estate in the Sharrow area of Sheffield, where he used to play football on the street and sharpen his skills by taking on the older lads in the neighbourhood.
“I’ve come a long way from the area where I grew up," said Kyle Walker, speaking before the World Cup kicked off.
NOW: Worth over £50m, Kyle is one of the big family men in Gareth Southgate's squad.
He lives with his girlfriend of nine years, Annie Kilner, and their three sons in a swish family home with its own pool.
Kyle is also one of the more private players in the team, but shots from social media show his house is understated but luxurious, with a big modern kitchen and a huge garden.
There was certainly no pool back on the estate, and Kyle's incredible rags-to-riches background is one of the most incredible in a team of humble, hard-working lads who deserve all the glory we know they'll bring back from Russia.
