When Martyn Jackson walked off the pitch after Ramsbottom United's 2-1 win over Cheadle Town in October 2024, it never crossed his mind that one day he could be a World Cup winner. In fact, in the days after that match, his goal was just staying alive. Just a couple of days after the final whistle, Jackson started to feel unwell during the night. He went into hospital and was diagnosed with myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart usually caused by an infection. Within weeks, he was placed on the super urgent waiting list for a transplant. His life was saved when a donor heart became available, and on 28 November 2024, he had successful surgery at Wythenshawe Hospital in Greater Manchester.

Fast forward to September 2026, and Jackson scored for England in their 5-1 win over Spain in the final of the Transplant Football World Cup. His team-mates and opponents were, like him, all recipients of a donor organ. "Obviously, when you've had a transplant, you don't think you're ever going to play again. That's what I thought anyway," Jackson tells BBC Sport. "I'll be forever grateful to my donor and the family for what they've given me."

Football at the Transplant World Cup is not quite the same as the game played at the Fifa World Cup. Matches are seven-a-side and played over 20-minute halves. Jackson spent his youth career in the academy at Manchester United, before spells at Blackburn Rovers, Preston North End and Burnley. During his recovery, wife Lucy heard about the opportunity to join an England Transplant FC team on social media.

Daley Cross, manager of the England team, said: "You can be in a dark place, at the time of diagnosis, through your treatment or even post-transplant. So to have us exist to help and inspire people means that we are getting some incredible footballers." As the recipient of a donor heart, Jackson has to manage his exercise workload more carefully than his team-mates. His role in the side tends to involve 10-minute bursts, rather than playing for the duration of matches.