England fan Styles a big factor in win
ENGLAND fan Callum Styles struggled to compute the “whirlwind of emotion” he felt after helping Hungary beat the Three Lions for the first time since 1962.
A year on from cheering Gareth Southgate’s side on their run to the European Championship final, the 22-year-old helped inflict the team’s first defeat since that shoot-out loss to Italy.
Styles previously said “nobody was more gutted” than him after England’s penalties defeat, yet the Barnsley midfielder’s pride was palpable after helping Hungary secure a historic 1-0 victory in Saturday’s Nations League opener.
From Bury rather than Budapest, he qualifies for the Magyars through his grandparents and won his third cap when coming off the bench against Southgate’s side.
“It’s one of those moments where you think f ****** hell... oh, sorry, I’m in this environment, it’s crazy,” he told the PA news agency.
“I never thought I’d be playing against England and coming on and winning the game in the end.
“I didn’t pinch myself but like even now I’m trying to grasp what’s just happened. It’s just a whirlwind of emotion, I’m not going to lie.”
Styles beamed from ear to ear as he spoke at the national stadium in Budapest, where his pride at being English is matched by his desire to do his lineage justice.
“I was born in England so that’s always close to my heart,” he said. “I’m always going to support England no matter what.
“But with my Hungarian roots, I’m proud of my family and my background.
“To be involved in this experience and this team it’s like I’m doing it for my family, for my Hungarian roots, so I’m really proud to be amongst it.”
Styles does not speak Hungarian and knows it will take years to learn the language, but communication has not been a problem thanks to the number of people that speak English around the national set-up.
“I think Marco Rossi is such a top coach and his team talks before the games just galvanises the players,” he said. “To be honest, the togetherness of this team is second to none.”