Elliot Anderson's former teachers have spoken of their pride in the Geordie midfielder's meteoric rise to become one of the stars of the England team. Anderson is expected to start as the Three Lions take on Argentina in tonight's World Cup semi-final in Atlanta.
From Whitley Bay to World Stage
Now 23, Anderson completed his GCSEs at Whitley Bay High School, balancing his studies with playing for Newcastle United's academy. His teachers describe him as popular and 'one of the lads,' who took his studies seriously.
His talent on the football pitch was never in doubt, his PE teacher Steven Anderson told ChronicleLive. Steven said: "You could always tell he was working in about third gear and yet he was still running rings around everyone, but that's the way he wanted to be. He didn't want to take the mick out of everyone, just wanted to be one of the lads really."
Balancing Education and Football
Sarah Fitzpatrick, deputy head teacher, was Anderson's pastoral leader. She said that everyone at the school was "very proud" of him. Mrs Fitzpatrick said: "He had to balance a lot of commitments to the Newcastle academy at the time with his studies, and it is a credit to him that he did manage to juggle that. A lot of the time he was out at the academy but he always caught up with his work, be it at lunch time or after school. He always made sure he valued his education, he didn't just see it as secondary to his football. In the classroom he was always quite competitive. But even if he didn't like a subject, he still gave his very, very best and was always very popular."
Predictions and Future Celebrations
Both Steven and Sarah are predicting a 2-0 win for England against Argentina, with Steven saying Elliot will be a "key part of the press" in Atlanta's air-conditioned stadium. However, Whitley Bay High School breaks up for the summer holidays this Friday, so it won't be until the 2026/27 academic year in September they can celebrate their former pupil's achievements.
Should England win the World Cup, there are plans to host a special assembly. The teachers even hope they may be able to tempt Anderson down to say a few words to the students. However, that might be a little tricky as Manchester City recently broke the British transfer record to bring him from Nottingham Forest for an estimated £117m, and he will likely have commitments to his new club.
Steven finished: "It is surreal, my memories of him are being a 14/15-year-old lad. You don't really see him as being someone who is going to warrant a £100m+ transfer in the future. You never really expect something like that, but fair play to him, he's worked exceptionally hard to get there and he's done really, really well."
