NOW the World Cup has kicked off, I'm sure we'll hear a lot about the “heroes of England”.

Admittedly, the hysteria surrounding the England team hasn't reached its usual crescendo — mainly because few people expect them to get out of the group stages, let alone win the tournament.

But still, the flags are flying proudly, people are gathering in pubs to watch matches and the England footballing anthems of the last few decades are being sung at the top of people's lungs.

And I absolutely agree, we need to 100 per cent get behind our boys in Brazil.

Yes, they're far from favourites — but they still deserve their country's backing. Even if they are millionaire footballers.

Although, after last week's incredibly moving scenes on the beaches of Normandy, I'm just not sure England's footballers can be described as heroes.

There can have been few people who watched those D-Day veterans proudly marking what they achieved 70 years ago without a tear in their eye.

Many, despite being in the late 80s or early 90s, had returned to the beaches where they changed the course of World War Two – and indeed all our futures.

This wasn't just to remember what had happened to them on that fateful day of June 6, 1944, but also to honour the memories of the thousands of their fellow troops who were killed on the beaches.

These were young men, some of them only teenagers, when they landed in Normandy.

They must have known the extreme danger they faced, that their chances of survival were not good to say the least.

And even if they did make it off the beach, they faced the treacherous march across Europe to liberate France.

Those who were interviewed, including Walter Wood from Bolton, played down just how immensely courageous they had been.

The scores of people who showed their respects at Bolton Parish Church for the emotional service there shows just how much respect these men deserve.

It would be wrong to call our D-Day veterans anything other than heroes — and even that word doesn’t seem to fully sum up what they are and what they sacrificed.

They risked everything to protect future generations.

So yes, back our England boys in Brazil. Cheer, wear shirts, fly flags, watch the games and keep your fingers crossed they make it through the group stages — but save the term “hero” for those who truly deserve it.