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Wembley Stadium will be the centre of attention on Thursday night as England host Wales. While it might be billed as an international friendly, it promises to be anything but.

The match marks the 103rd clash between the two old rivals, with the Three Lions historically having the edge over Craig Bellamy's squad, boasting 67 victories. That includes victory at the 2022 World Cup. Alongside 21 draws, the Welsh side, who are tonight's visitors, have only managed 14 wins.

In fact, it's been a long time since Wales last triumphed over England - all the way back in 1984, when a team filled with some of the greatest Welsh footballers ever clinched a 1-0 victory at the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham. Mark Hughes was the hero of the day with his decisive header, sharing the pitch with such luminaries as Neville Southall, Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones and, arguably the greatest of them all, Ian Rush.

The Liverpool legend has one of the most impressive footballing resumes in history, having lifted an astonishing 18 trophies during his two spells at Anfield, including five First Division titles, five League Cups, three FA Cups, and two of the club's six European Cups.

Playing for one of the most legendary teams in English football history, Rush made his mark as he etched his name into the annals of history, where he still holds the record as the club's top scorer with an impressive 346 goals. Over his career, he also played for big names like Juventus, Leeds, Newcastle United and Wrexham, bagging a plethora of individual awards from PFA honours to European and First Division Golden Boots, reports Wales Online.

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Despite the lingering regret of never guiding Wales to a major tournament, he is still considered one of the greatest Welsh players ever, earning 73 caps and netting 28 goals, a total only surpassed by Gareth Bale.

Even though he hung up his boots in 2000, the now 63-year-old Rush still lives and breathes football, with the beautiful game remaining at the heart of everything he does. In addition to being Liverpool's chief club ambassador, he has recently served on the advisory board for the Football Association of Wales and taken on the role of Elite Performance Director for the Welsh Football Trust, helping to scout the next generation of Welsh talent.

Off the pitch, Rush has plenty to keep him busy. In a 2022, he revealed that he "couldn't be happier" with his new life, with his two sons Jonathan and Daniel thriving, and having just moved into a new house he built with his long-term partner Carol Anthony.

Since then, they have been busy sketching out their future together, with the Liverpool legend and Irish singer and model disclosing in a chat with the Irish Independent last year that they were considering a summer wedding in the south of France. However, they have not yet confirmed whether they have indeed walked down the aisle.

The pair started dating after Rush separated from his wife of 25 years, Tracy, in 2012, and instantly found their romance thrust into the spotlight. Anthony was accused of breaking up the former Liverpool star's marriage, while also facing criticism over the age difference between them.

But after numerous publications reported there to be 22 years separating Rush and his new partner, a fed-up Anthony chose to speak out on behalf of herself and Rush, setting the record straight about their romance following the harsh press coverage.

"It was in a couple of the the papers in the UK, all about the age gap and didn't come up to speed about what I've been doing the past few years," the now-46 year old told the Irish Independent. "They took another six years out of my life. There's 16 years between us, not 22. There's 13 years between my own parents.

"The slant they put on it was wrong, like I was marrying him for money or something. I just felt it was time I spoke up for myself," she added.

"Ian himself said, it's great to support a footballer in the height of their career but when you finish your career, it's a downward spiral and a whole different ballgame.

"I've been so supportive of Ian over the last year years and help him work on getting contracts so it feels a bit like a slap in the face when you read these articles. It was a little bit hurtful.

"Women are strong and we'll always try to take things on the chin but when I saw Ian getting annoyed about it I said, 'No I'm going to take a stance on this."

Discussing how she coped with the harsh criticism during the early stages of her romance with Rush, Anthony continued: "It was difficult navigating it initially because I didn't realise the level of scrutiny, and I wasn't ready for it, and that makes everyone anxious and nervous.

"It wasn't good for a relationship. I navigated my way out of that and we have an incredible relationship, absolutely wonderful. We love each other to bits. We're together 12 years now.

"But I used to walk behind Ian at every function because I would never want to be photographed with him," she added. "I went into a phase where I wanted to be unknown. Then I realised I shouldn't be hiding."