Tyrone Mings took a moment to reflect. Two hours before kick-off, with the Vasil Levski stadium deserted, he stood in the centre circle and surveyed the scene.
A few yards away, the rest of England’s squad were chatting and killing time, but Mings had his earphones in and wanted to gather his thoughts before the biggest night of his professional career, no doubt reflecting on a passage that had started in the humble surrounds of Yate Town.
Here he was – as England’s Twitter feed proudly declared – the 1244th man to win a senior cap. Mings has enjoyed an assured start to the campaign with Aston Villa – Gareth Southgate and Steve Holland have followed him closely – and the wonderful spin-off was here in Sofia.
‘It’s a great reward for his journey,’ Ian Wright, a proud former England striker, enthused in the ITV studio. ‘He has had his moments in the Prmeier League. He has started brilliantly for Villa, coming up from the Championship. He deserves his chance.
‘If England are playing as well as they should be perhaps he wouldn’t get his chance. His chance has come and hopefully he will take it fingers crossed for him.’
England, of course, were long odds-on to win this contest; Bulgaria’s forward line, meanwhile, were never going to pose the problems Mings has to solve on a weekly basis in the Premier League but, even still, you can guarantee his heart was jumping and the adrenaline was flowing.
This, clearly, was going to be a night he would never forget. Once you have played for England, you are there in the history books and that velvet blue cap the FA send out at the end of every campaign was going to provide a permanent reminder.
As Wright pointed out, there were caveats to his inclusion. It was no surprise that Michael Keane was omitted after a chastening night in Prague on Friday but it was widely expected that Liverpool’s Joe Gomez would come in. Southgate, however, had other ideas.
Mings, with his power and his stature and his left foot, was going to provide balance for Harry Maguire. You could see in the early stages, too, the symmetry as he made a couple of forging runs and complimented Leicester’s Ben Chilwell. If he was nervous, it never showed.
The more he touched the ball, the more his confidence burgeoned. Sharp passes into Jordan Henderson and Ross Barkley, composure to take possession from goalkeeper Jordan Pickford close to his own byline, you could see he was enjoying every second. And then…
You know what happened next. It became a night Mings would never forget for all the wrong reasons. In the 22nd minute, he shouted to Bojan Zobenica, the Croatian assistant referee on the far side of the pitch, four little words that altered the course of the night: “Did you hear that?”
We do not what Zobenica heard but we know precisely what Mings had heard: monkey chanting. It was the same for Marcus Rashford and Raheem Sterling, on the other side of the pitch. Every time they touched the ball, there was the despicable soundtrack that is present in Eastern Europe.
The Bulgarians had taken umbrage in their pre-match press conference about racism being a persistent line of questioning. Krassimir Balakov, the head coach, even made the claim that England’s problems with race are far worse than in Bulgaria.
There are issues in this country – ones that we cannot ignore and must address. Nobody, however, was naïve enough to think this game was going to pass without incident and for the second time in seven months, an England match has been horribly overshadowed.
What makes it all the more lamentable is the fact the narrative was disfigured and prevented us speaking solely about England’s delightful football. Mings, to his total credit, was a consummate professional. If the rage he felt when hearing those chants was burning, it never let it boil over.
Harry Maguire is Southgate’s go-to central defender, one of five men – the others being Jordan Pickford, Harry Kane, Jordan Henderson and Raheem Sterling – who are guaranteed to start, fitness permitting, when Euro 2020 begins for England at Wembley on June 14.
Yet Mings took charge of situations, pointing to Maguire where he should go, and demanding that his team-mates keep their focus. Such professionalism enabled England to swat their hapless opponents in ruthless and brutal style.
It will be interesting to see what happens next month if Southgate has a full complement of central defenders available; one thing we can say for certain, nonetheless, is that Mings absolutely deserves another opportunity to play for England again.
Reaching the pinnacle should provide memories that last a lifetime; speak to any of the members in this group how they felt the first time they had Three Lions on their chest and, instantly, you will see a beaming smile. Playing for England is what every little boy who kicks a football wants to do.
The first night should be special. Mings, miserably, saw bigots steal the headlines. That cannot be right. Reassuringly, Southgate will know that. When he does his debrief and focuses on the football, he will see Mings big audition went smoothly.
At the final whistle, fittingly, he was standing in almost the same spot as he had been three hours earlier. He was wrapped in hugs and handshakes by his team-mates and received one big embrace from Southgate’s assistant Chris Powell. He has earned the chance to go again.