England fans had a lot to thank Jude Bellingham for after his overhead kick kept England in Euro 2024, but perhaps nobody was happier about the goal than 50-year-old Joanne Gordon.
Joanne won £250,00 thanks to Bellingham's heroics against Slovakia in the last 16, scooping up the jackpot prize on ITV Picks, a free-to-play competition in which players have to correctly answer seven questions about a European Championship game - including first goalscorer, half-time and full-time correct scores.
She became the first ever ITV Picks jackpot winner after England's round of 16 game against Slovakia, with her predictions including picking the exact minute that the first goal would be scored in the game.
Speaking about the big win, Joanne said: "I don't really know how to put it into words, it's extremely surreal. You hear people winning big amounts of money and you think 'good for them' you know, I'll try and win myself and you never really consider that it might happen.
"My husband plays it as well, he's the avid football watcher in my house with my son. He's quite scientific about it, making notes about how they're performing."
The family's simple message to Bellingham is one that was echoed by plenty of families up and down the country: "Thank you.
“We’ve already decided we’re going to give each of the children some money to set them up, but it’s still not sunk in really.
“You say to yourself you can now afford to do this, that and the other, or even have a holiday, because a holiday wasn’t even on the cards for us this year.”
'ITV Picks', a free to play game based on the EUROs. The jackpot round is now live for th semi-finals, with jackpot amounts being:
- Spain vs. France = £100,000
- Netherlands vs. England = £250,000
This article was originally published on 90min.com as Jude Bellingham overhead kick earns Coventry women £250,000.
