A FORMER homeless man has captained his country in an international football tournament.

Adam Sowerby, from Hartlepool, played for Homeless Team England last week in a tournament in Portugal.

The 27-year-old was part of a 15-strong England squad taking part in Futebol de Rua, a street soccer tournament in Braga, Portugal.

He captained his country in a match against a Braga side which contained a number of local ex-pros and the town’s mayor.

Before kick off, participating teams, all of whom have experienced homelessness in the last year, were paraded through the town led by a troupe of drummers.

Mr Sowerby said: “The parade with the drums had a good feel vibe. It was exciting, loud and everybody was clapping and chanting an incredible experience. And that was followed by leading my country out.

"Captaining England was a huge honour it’s probably one of my greatest ever achievements and getting off to a winning start was absolutely fantastic. It’s been immense so far, I couldn’t ask for a better experience.”

Men’s and Women’s England teams will be playing against sides from across Portugal, made up of players who have also experienced homelessness. The four-a-side matches, with rolling substitutions, are played on smaller pitches than those commonly used for football.

Adam had previously completed Homeless FA’s Training Centre programme at Sunderland AFC. He learned of his call-up for Futebol de Rua earlier this month at a four-day Training Camp at St George’s Park, the FA’s National Football Centre. Preparation included a surprise training session with former Spurs and Southampton manager, Harry Redknapp, now a BT Sport ambassador, who passed expert advice and words of encouragement to the players.