Somebody make a statue of Dan Burn’s iconic World Cup block. Now. | OneFootball

It’s hard to pick our favourite moment from England‘s madcap 3-2 win over Mexico on Monday morning, the kind of game you know will become a national legend in real time.

Jude Bellingham’s quick-fire double. The Mexico coach telling Anthony Gordon to f*ck off. John Stones almost scoring a heart-stopping own goal in injury time.

Three Lions blasted over the Azteca tannoy 0.6 seconds after the final whistle. Harry Kane’s interview. Jordan Henderson doing his best Gary Lewin impression.

Even the kick-off delay that sorted the wheat from the chaff back home, with proceedings getting underway at 2am and ending with daylight on the horizon.

Almost impossible to narrow down. Until you remember Dan Burn.

Burn entered the fray in the 75th minute, making his World Cup debut with England down to 10 men after Jarell Quansah’s red card. To say this was a sticky wicket is something of an understatement.

But the Newcastle defender, whose inclusion in Thomas Tuchel’s squad was met with ridicule, turned into Treebeard during an intense finale.

Nobody made more clearances than Burn’s six in the entire match, helped by the Mexican’s peculiar decision to spam crosses at this Empire State Building of a man.

It was the most clearances by a substitute brought on that late in any World Cup game since 1966. One headed rebuttal crossed the halfway line at a rate of knots.

But the moment that should be enshrined in marble and replace the Angel of the North came when Raul Jimenez fired an overhead kick towards the England goal.

Anyone who’s kicked a football against a granite wall will know the sensation of the ball pinging back towards you, often with the force of a small locomotive.

Without speculating on Jimenez’s upbringing in Mexico, he’ll know exactly what we mean. His effort hit Burn and launched towards the Azteca concourse.

England’s new hero literally met the challenge face-on, not so much blocking the shot from point-blank range as eating it. A national legend was born.

Asked about England’s 5-3-1 tactic following Quansah’s dismissal, Burn replied: “I don’t know if we quite planned for this scenario! I knew that I was being brought here for a certain reason.

“I probably wasn’t going to start but there was going to be opportunities in a game whether we’re trying to see a game out or maybe go for a goal that I was going to get.

“I was desperate to get on the pitch. I didn’t want to leave the World Cup without getting on there.

“I’m very proud to play for England at a World Cup. I never, ever thought I would be saying that when I first started.”

Burn began his career at non-league Darlington and had to climb up the leagues before hitting the big-time with his boyhood side Newcastle.

But playing in front of a packed Azteca Stadium, where the noise was absolutely deafening, has instantly become a career highlight.

“I don’t think I’ll ever forget that night,” he said.

“The atmosphere was crazy. The national anthem of Mexico, I think I was nearly deaf by the end of it.

“It was an amazing thing. I think it was a game which should be in this stadium, it was exciting.

“I think everyone back home watching it at two in the morning or whatever it was will be very, very proud of the performance we put in.”

The likes of Kane and Jude Bellingham are so good to be almost unrelatable, but Burn’s moment of glory isn’t far removed from a Tuesday night in Blyth.

We are all very proud of England today, but we’re especially proud of Burn. Somebody get to work on that statue.