The goal that sent England to the Euro 2024 Final — from League One to the decisive goal at Dortmund.
Oliver Bernard Watkins was born in Torquay, England in 1995. He developed through the lower leagues — Exeter City and Brentford — before Aston Villa paid £28 million for him. His four Villa seasons have produced consistent 20-plus goal returns. He represented England 24 times. He scored the 90th-minute goal against the Netherlands in the Euro 2024 semi-final — coming off the bench and scoring within two minutes of entering the pitch to send England to his second consecutive European Championship final. The goal was England's most celebrated individual moment in a European Championship since Paul Gascoigne's Euro 96 goal against Scotland. His combination of pressing intensity, intelligent movement and clinical finishing from both feet and his head makes him one of the Premier League's most complete modern centre-forwards. His development arc — from League One at Exeter through the Championship at Brentford to international footballer — is English football's most complete lower-league-to-top-flight success story of the decade.
Championship (2020)
Career Honours
- Championship (2020)
- Premier League (regular)
- Euro runner-up (England 2024)