Every football fan dreams of playing at Wembley, but in reality it’s only the stars of the game who get to score on the hallowed turf…or so I thought.
Wembley has a special place in the hearts of all football fans. Bobby Moore lifting the World Cup under the gaze of the Twin Towers is just one of the unforgettable moments from English football’s famous old home.
But football has moved on, and so has Wembley, and the new stadium is truly stunning – a worthy home for today's heroes.
Eagerly staring out of the train window for a glimpse of the magnificent stadium, I refrained from breaking out into an out of tune verse of 'Que Sera, Sera', fearing a few strange glances from the business types in my carriage.
Past Kilburn, Willesden, Dollis Hill and the Wembley Ikea, suddenly the majestic home of football came into view. The sheer size of the ground, spread out beneath the 133 metre tall arch, is breathtaking.
The arch itself will, in turn, become as iconic as the Twin Towers. Visible 13 miles away when illuminated, the arch weighs more than ten jumbo jets and spans 315 metres.
But inside the ground is spine-tingling. Hopping off at Wembley Stadium train station like the thousands of fans will do on match day, I took the short walk to the stadium, through the turnstiles and onto the airy concourse which is filled with food and drink outlets.
Entering through block 116, it suddenly hits you - this is a vast arena - three times the size of the Millennium Stadium in fact.
Three tiers of bright reds seats house 90,000 fans, all of whom will enjoy a wonderful, intimate view of England’s talented bunch.
Up above the bowl is the retractable roof ensuring both fans and players will have the perfect football experience. The crowd noise when England score will be deafening.
Having heard that each seat has the same legroom as the royal box at the old Wembley, I thought I'd give it a go. I was not disappointed and would suggest that even Peter Crouch would be able to stretch out in comfort.
The new royal box is located on the halfway line - more than 100 steps up from the pitch rather than the famous 39 - just above where the players will emerge from the tunnel.
The huge home changing room is similar to a plush golf club changing room. I sat down on one of the benches in the locker room, imagining myself surrounded by Lampard and Gerrard. I could hear Terry encouraging the players and McClaren going through a few last minute tactics.
Every young fan dreams of scoring at Wembley and, having walked out the changing room and through the tunnel, the chance to walk on the hallowed turf was irresistible.
Touching the emerald green grass in an embarrassing attempt to mimic Diego Maradona as I stepped on to the field, everything looked immaculate - the white lines marking the chessboard flat pitch, the net and the corner flags. The only thing missing were some footballs - and, as if by magic, two appeared.
My scoring dream was suddenly a realistic possibility and, having watched some of the TV reporters slotting into an unguarded net, I nervously collected a ball and homed in on goal.
I placed it down, three yards out - my sort of range. I took a step back, asked my colleague to get the camera ready, and took a rather uncultured swing.
The result was just how I dreamt - the net bulged, the cameras, well, camera flashed, and the crowd, consisting of three builders, roared. It was just wonderful.
I've done it. I've scored at Wembley. Hopefully it won’t be long until Rooney, Crouch and Gerrard will do the same.