A MEXICAN football star who grew up in Chester is being tipped to play for England.

Antonio Pedroza Whitham is still ‘Tony’ to mum Katrina, who lives in Park Road, Thornton-le-Moors, near Elton.

But he is setting the Mexican league alight with his goal-scoring form for Chiapas and his skills have put him in the frame for a shock England call-up.

He could play for England at the Under 20s World Cup in Colombia in July and August if the FA scouts said to be monitoring his progress are suitably impressed.

Mexico and England could even become embroiled in a tug of war for Antonio’s services as he qualifies to play international football for both countries.

Born in the Countess of Chester Hospital, Antonio and 16-year-old brother Carlos were brought up in Blacon. His mum remembers that, as a baby, her son would kick an orange around the house. He later progressed to playing every day in the street outside their Cranford Road home and in the yard at JH Godwin Primary School, where he was a pupil for four years.

The family moved to Mexico in the early 1990s for 11 years before Mrs Pedroza came back to the UK three years ago with Carlos and third child Grace, nine.

The 39-year-old mum, who works at the post office in Ellesmere Port’s Asda store, said: “I read England were interested (in Antonio) but he said no-one’s approached him yet.”

Fluent Spanish speaker Mrs Pedroza, who met her Mexican ex-husband working in London, says her son plans to return to her home for two weeks when the season in Mexico is over at the end of June.

She added: “We get on really well. We speak two or three times a week and I went back over there last year for a holiday.

“He remembers living on Cranford Road in Blacon. He loved it.

“He used to play on the street every day. He played since he was a baby – he used to play with oranges around the front room.”

The family uprooted to the father’s home nation and lived in Miguel Auza, Zacatecas, when Antonio was eight.

But Mrs Pedroza says her son, nicknamed ‘Rooney’ by his teammates because of his English roots, may yet return to England to play in the Premier League.

She added: “He liked Liverpool when he was younger.

“I think it’s every footballer’s dream to play for Liverpool – and I’m a Manchester United fan!”