Jordan Pickford and Kasper Schmeichel have a fair bit in common. Both are in form ahead of tonight's Euro 2020 semi-final between Denmark and England, and both made their senior debuts at the same non-League club.
The two goalkeepers will line-up beside each other in the Wembley tunnel this evening, having both started their professional football journeys 250 miles away at Darlington.
The shot stoppers have since used other loan spells to rise up through the football pyramid towards the Premier League and the international stage - and are now set to take part in the biggest match of their lives.
England's Jordan Pickford (left) and Denmark's Kasper Schmeichel will face off in the Euro 2020 semi-final at Wembley tonight
Both players made their senior bows at Darlington in front of just a few thousand fans
Being the older player, Schmeichel was the first player to represent the Quakers and step out at the Darlington Arena on a week-by-week loan deal in January 2006, with crowds barely surpassing more than 3,000 spectators at the time.
Darlington were struggling to find a goalkeeper with regular No 1 Sam Russell out injured, so called Manchester City to enquire about Schmeichel's availability as cover.
The Danish goalkeeper had only played reserve team games for the Premier League club at the time, but was thrust into first-team action for the then-League Two side, with his father Peter - a Manchester United legend - watching his every move inside the ground.
Schemeichel played for Darlington on loan from Man City, who he played reserve games for
He made four appearances for the Quakers in the month-long spell, winning the man-of-the-match award in three of the games - including in the 2-1 victory over Peterborough United in his first ever career game.
Darlington assistant manager Mark Proctor claimed that Schmeichel, who also had spells at Bury, Falkirk, Cardiff, Coventry and Notts County before hitting the big time, would go on to have a brilliant future in football.
He said when his loan spell came to an end: 'Kasper was outstanding for us and we're grateful that he served us so well. He has a very big future in front of him.'
Pickford, meanwhile, was just 17 when he arrived at Darlington on loan in 2012 with the club in a perilous position.
After suffering relegation to non-League, the Quakers went into administration and had to sell several players, including goalkeeper Russell to Forest Green Rovers, to cover the costs.
With only nine first-team players available, Darlington boss Craig Liddle tried to get several players into the club on loan from local sides Sunderland, Newcastle and Middlesbrough. All of them were blocked due to the transfer ban, apart from the move for Black Cats goalkeeper Pickford.
Pickford played for Darlington 17 times in a three-month loan spell, but failed to win any games
He initially signed on one-month loan deal, but he had a horror show in his second career game - a 3-2 defeat to Hayes and Yeading - where he conceded a penalty after two minutes and a poor pass out from
