Thomas Tuchel reveals unlikely England hero he pretended to be as a child and admits it left pals confused

THOMAS TUCHEL has revealed Peter Shilton was his unlikely childhood hero.

England captain Harry Kane will equal the legendary keeper’s record of 125 caps against the Czech Republic at Wembley.

Three Lions boss Tuchel, who grew up in his native Bavaria in Germany, explained: “When I was a young boy, I was Peter Shilton in goal.

“I didn’t even know exactly why.

“I just had a preference for English goalkeepers.

“My friends didn’t really know what I was talking about.

“Yet Harry’s a role model in the way he behaves, leads the team and produces some outstanding performances.

“So it cannot be a better player to take the record of Shilton.”

Shilton, now 77, also played in more than 1,000 league games for Nottingham Forest, Derby, Leicester and Southampton.

And he famously featured against West Germany in the semi-final of the World Cup in 1990 — when England were beaten on penalties.

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Speaking to talkSPORT, Tuchel added: “Hopefully the next generations all over the world will pretend to be Harry Kane in their backyard.

“Even if they don’t have the chance to see him live — which was the case when I was younger. But nowadays that is much, much easier.”