Steve McClaren lookalike admits trouble with trolls after going viral (2024)

England superfan Andy Milne has opened up on the horrific abuse he got on social media after going viral as a Steve McClaren at the Qatar World Cup.

Milne first went viral for supporting England in Qatar two years ago, with some on social media claiming that he looked like former England manager McClaren, and he has been spotted several times since.

The supporter has become a cult figure among Three Lions followers after he was snapped in Qatar hoisting a replica of the Jules Rimet Trophy during England's 3-0 victory against Senegal.

However, with the territory of becoming a viral sensation Milne has unfortunately revealed that not all the attention was positive, with some on social media offering ruthless insults.

'He's a very good looking guy isn't he so I don't mind that at all. In all honesty I do a little bit of social media now,' Milne told Mail Sport while in Germany ahead of the Denmark game on Thursday night.

'I'm pretty clueless so at the time I did none and missed out on all of that, looking back on it I was quite nastily trolled for 24 hours.

People saying "he doesn't look like Steve McLaren, he looks like a paedophile!", "Ken Dodd's love child" - this sort of thing.

'But a lovely lady - I'd love to track her down - came on and said "look guys, this is just bullying, leave him alone he's an England fan just enjoying himself out there," and the nation seemed to get behind me after that and I get so many lovely welcoming comments from England fans now.'

Milne, a retired Biology teacher, has been in Germany following the Three Lions' progress as their bid to end the 58-year wait for major silverware continues.

However as a viral superfan, it does make it hard to make your way around the competition without endless requests for selfies.

'[I get a] Huge amount - as I say, Steve McClaren's a good-looking guy!'

'I took a slightly early retirement so I could go to the whole of the tournament [In Qatar] but now I run a company in Thailand which is like an escape room, but across a whole island!'

He added: 'The one I spent a lot of money on was Qatar, and I did that one with a bit of luxury, but here I'm sleeping in the back of my car with my mate in a tent outside.

And when asked how much following the Three Lions across the globe has set him back, Milne replied: 'It's the money I've saved from my job as a teacher is what I've spent!'

For Milne, following England at major tournaments has always been a passion, having made his first trip at 19 to watch the Three Lions take on the world at the 1982 World Cup in Spain.

'That tournament in 1982, so excited to get there, we were playing France in the opening match, and 27 seconds in Robson smacks the ball into the back of the net and England are 1-0 up. Legend.'

'I scrounged my way! I took a tent, a rucksack and my mum very kindly bought me a one-way ticket over there, I arrived with my tent, sleeping bag and cooking stove and it was all stolen within two hours, so I roughed it for a month.'

Milne - who estimates he has been to north of 500 hundred England games - believes that England fans are in great hands in Germany.

Aside from a 'very, very solid squad', Milne heaped praise on Three Lions boss Southgate, claiming that he is among the best England fans have ever been managed by in years gone by.

'Gareth is one of if not the most successful managers we've ever had and I think we can all learn from our decisions in hindsight,' he claimed.

'I agree with the popular opinion that he should have maybe stirred things up in the last game, but he's brought new players in and we've got a very, very solid squad.'

Euro 2024GermanyGareth Southgate