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As he made his way out of the stadium, the man whose life was cut short by a car crash last year turned to his family and said: “Now you can finally have peace.”
It was the last time anyone heard Jack Wilshere’s voice.
On Wednesday, a few hours after England’s 2-0 victory over Italy, it was replaced by the death rattle of a man whose own life had been marked by tragedy, misery and the ultimate indignity – a broken back.
By Wednesday evening, his funeral would be attended by a crowd of friends, family and professional teammates at St Peter’s Church in the village of Luton.
It was a last-minute decision: only five weeks ago Wilshere, his younger brother Aaron, aged nine, and his grandmother, Jan Jones, had visited the funeral of his former team-mate Freddie Ljungberg, who died when his car collided with a tree in the same country.
It was also an opportunity to lay to rest yet another tragedy at the height of what has been the most extraordinary season in the 65-year history of the club.
Wilshere’s body was flown home to Luton in a private plane after the funeral, which will now focus on the players who lost their lives, and the fans who lost their lives as well.
The team were all expected to be there, as was Jan Jones, the grandmother who bore his only son, Aaron.
Their presence and tears in recent days have shown that the grief felt by the club during the five years since the tragedy is shared by the families and friends of the players and supporters who have perished.
Jack Wilshere was the last player to play for England (Getty)
Jack Wilshere and Aaron Carter (Getty)
Wilshere’s family had been kept in the dark by the club; they had no idea their youngest son had been given his wish to play for Arsenal.
It was a wish made on behalf of Aaron and a few friends when Jack was a teenager.
“The whole family was just devastated that it had happened,” Jan Jones told the Guardian. �