Harry Maguire: 10 things you didn’t know about the Leicester and England defender

Harry Maguire captured the hearts of the nation for his heroics at the World Cup in Russia.

The Sheffield-born defender scored his first and only England goal to send the the Three Lions on their way to their first World Cup semi-final in 28 years.

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Maguire's rise in he game has been remarkable. Just four seasons ago he was struggling to break into the Hull City line-up, with Curtis Davis and Michael Dawson ahead of him in the pecking order.

Since then, he has earned himself a big money move to Leicester, cemented himself in Gareth Southgate's blossoming England squad and most recently been linked with a move to Manchester United.

He seems likely to, once again, star for his nation against Czech Republic on Friday night in a Euro 2020 qualifier - live on talkSPORT.

But what are ten things you didn't know about Maguire? talkSPORT.com has explored the life of the popular footballer and found out more...

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1. He was nearly chosen to be the face of the new £50 note

England right-back Kyle Walker joined the push to get a picture of Maguire riding a unicorn as the design of the new £50 note during the World Cup.

The petition was started by Twitter user Jonny Sharples and gained more than 15,000 signatures.

It was be in recognition of Maguire's performances at the tournament both on and off the pitch.

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2. He went to support England as fan at Euro 2016 in France - just two years before the World Cup

The rise of Maguire's progression in the game has been well-documented but it is perfectly represented by the fact he was a fan at the Euros in 2016.

Here he can be seen with his mates at the tournament. Little did he know that two years later he would be starting for his country at an even bigger stage.

3. His first name isn't Harry

Maguire's middle name is Harry.

His first name is Jacob - it doesn't quite have the same ring it, does it?

4. There's a reason he is so good on the ball

One of Maguire's outstanding traits as a defender is his ability on the ball.

With a big build and standing at 6ft4ins that is a great quality to have, but there is a reason for his ball-playing abilities and Maguire revealed why last year.

He said: "The reason why I am comfortable on he ball is that when I was a young boy I played centre-midfield until I was 16-18 which marked a time I had my 6ft4ins height.

"This was a time I needed up playing centre-back all because I was always the biggest, chubbiest and tallest on the pitch."

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5. Talent runs in the family

The talent in the Maguire household didn't stop at Harry.

His eldest brother, Joe, is two years older and currently plays for League Two side Crawley Town on loan from Fleetwood Town.

While his younger brother, Laurence, currently plays for Chesterfield and has captain England C - the nation's non-league side.

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6. He idolises John Terry and Rio Ferdinand

Maguire is Sheffield born and bred and when he was breaking into the first team he aspired to be like Terry and Ferdinand.

Before graduating to the first team, he said: "They were the best partnership around when I was growing up."

Maguire would get further with England at a World Cup than his heroes ever did.

7. He was in League One Team of the Year for three seasons running

After breaking into the first team at Sheffield United, Maguire became a mainstay in the line-up for the following seasons.

So good were his displays at the heart of defence that he was included in the PFA League One Team of the Year for three years running - and eventually he earned a move to Premier League side Hull City for £2.5million.

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8. He has been with his childhood sweetheart for seven years

Behind every great man, there is a great woman - and this is no exception with Maguire.

He has been with his fiancee Fern for seven years and the pair got engaged in February last year.

Maguire has helped Fern during the progression of his career and helped her with university fees.

9. He arrived at his first England call-up with his clothes in a bin bag

Maguire hilariously arrived at his first ever England training session at St Georges Park with all his belongings in a bin bag - which resulted in many on social media saying he looked like a university student at freshers.

In the end it turned out to be a prank from his Leicester and England team-mate Jamie Vardy, with Maguire stating: "I asked Vards what he brought his booths and shin in and he was the one who said bin bag so I took his word."

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10. He has the nickname 'Slab-head'

Vardy is known to be a bit of a prankster and inevitably it was him who gave Maguire a nickname 'Slab-head.'

After Maguire scored his goal against Sweden, the striker gatecrashed the press conference after the game and said to his team-mate: "Hi, this is Jamie Vardy from Vardy News - what is the diameter of your head?"