Veteran England Para Footballer Set for Fifth World Cup Appearance

A seasoned international footballer is slated to represent England in his fifth World Cup appearance later this month. Harry Baker, a native of Banbury, Oxfordshire, has been named to the 14-player national squad for the International Federation of Cerebral Palsy Football’s (IFCPF) tournament, which will take place in Spain. Last year, the Bicester Colts player and his teammates reached the European Championships’ final for the first time, where they were defeated 3-0 by Ukraine, recognized as the world’s top team. Baker, who described every international tournament as a “pinch me moment”, is potentially set to compete against Brazil, Japan, and Canada in three upcoming group stage matches. “It would be lovely to win [the tournament] but we’ve got to be realistic. A medal would be amazing,” he further stated. “It’s a tough group. Brazil are the third best team in the world so that is the big match. Japan and Canada, we’ve got a good record against – but it’s important not to be complacent against those teams.“If we want to win medals and compete with the best we’ve got to beat the best. We are in a really good place,” commented Harry, who has been representing England since his teenage years. “For me, it’s amazing. It’s my fifth World Cup so I’m very, very fortunate. Whenever I get selected for a major tournament for my country is a pinch me moment. It makes you appreciate the hard work and stuff you have to sacrifice to get there throughout the year.” The NHS defines cerebral palsy as a collective term for lifelong conditions impacting movement and coordination, resulting from a brain condition occurring before, during, or shortly after birth. Baker had previously informed the FA that he experiences left-sided hemiplegia, with his leg being more significantly affected than his hand, leading him to walk with a limp. Every match of the IFCPF’s World Cup will be available for streaming on YouTube, complemented by consistent updates across social media platforms. “The exposure, the awareness is growing. There is more and more out there so hopefully we will be role models for future players and more and more exposure for the sport would be amazing.“I didn’t really know anything about disability football until I got into it. It’s brilliant to see all these opportunities for people with disabilities – not just people with cerebral palsy as well,” Harry concluded. For further updates, BBC Oxfordshire can be followed on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), or Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding their approach to external linking is available.