Flashing England fan who used his last-ditch tackle to put off Italy’s winning penalty taker is revealed to be a millionaire businessman



Tim O'Leary had to sprint from one end of Kiev's Olympic Stadium to the other so he could watch the dramatic spot kicks from behind the goal

The city trader said: 'I was just trying to do my bit. I'd do anything to see England win'

His wife, who is eight months pregnant from home found the stunt 'very, very funny' as she watched from home



Three quarters of TV viewers were watching the shootout - the highest audience share on any channel since Portugal beat England in Euro 2004

Before it got so serious: Tim O'Leary in his now notorious bushy England wig picks up a woman in traditional Ukrainian dress in Donetsk , ahead of England's earlier match against Ukraine

The cheeky England fan who dropped his pants in a last-ditch bid to put off Italy's winning penalty scorer on Sunday has himself been exposed as a millionaire city high flyer.

Tim O'Leary had been sitting behind the goal watching the drama unfold in an England goalkeeper's kit and red and white bushy wig when he realised his time to represent his country had come.



The 35-year-old patriot stood with his trousers down and arms crossed and sternly tried to catch the eye of Alessandro Diamanti at the crucial moment he stepped up to take the shot.

Speaking to the Mail Online today, he said: 'I just did it. I didn't think about it, it just happened in the spur of the moment. I was so desperate for England to win.



'I would have done anything for them.



'I don't think he (winning penalty taker Diamanti) spotted what I was doing.'

Speaking from the gates of his luxurious five-bedroomed mansion house in leafy Surrey, he added: 'Roy Hodgson is a great choice as England manager.



'I'm a Fulham fan as well. He did a great job for us and he's got the England players playing as a team.



'We did as well as we could. The team looked like they were pulling in the same direction, which was the complete opposite to South Africa.



'This time lost on penalties and were undefeated in the tournament.



'Penalties are 90 per cent psychological and 10 per cent skill.



'I thought England's best player was my neighbour John Terry. He was top class.'

Mr O'Leary said he and a friend had to sprint from one end of Kiev's Olympic Stadium to the other so he could watch the dramatic spot kicks from behind the goal.

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Rude: Cheeky: The England fan drops his trousers as he tries to put Alessandro Diamanti as he takes the final penalty during last night's shootout

Mr O'Leary, who owns a £6million Surrey home near England’s John Terry, owns a trading company in the City of London. He said his wife, Klara, who is eight-months pregnant with twins, watched his antics from home which she found 'very, very funny'.



Diamanti gave Italy a 4-2 shootout win, sending them through to the semi-finals of Euro 2012.



The supporter next to him appeared to also be dropping his trousers.



The England team flew home on Monday after their dramatic penalties defeat. But they were given a somewhat low-key homecoming after no England fans turned up at Luton Airport to welcome them back.

Six policemen who had been drafted in to deal with crowds were not needed and simply watched the squad arrive at the airport.

But the team seemed in surprisingly good spirits despite their loss. The poor welcome home party was in marked contrast to the squad’s departure to Euro 2012 nearly three weeks ago when fans waved and cheered as they left.

Before the tournament, expectations for the England team had been low, but after wins in the initial stages fans had started to imagine a win may be possible.

About 6,000 England fans jetted out to watch the defeat in Kiev and despite initial fears of racism and violence there were no major problems.

David Cameron said the players had made 'the country proud' with their performances at the tournament.

Rude: Cheeky: The England fan drops his trousers as he tries to put Alessandro Diamanti as he takes the final penalty during last night's shootout

The Italian Job: Alessandro Diamanti holds his nerve and scores the penalty - despite the best efforts of the England fan to put him off

Victory for Italy: Alessandro Diamanti celebrates after scoring the winning penalty in the shoot-out last night to take the Italians through to the semi-finals where they will play Germany

The Prime Minister said he watched the game but joked that as it wore on there was a feeling that it would probably end on penalties.

Ashley Young and Ashley Cole missed the crucial spotkicks as England bowed out of the competition. Italy will play Germany in the semi-finals tomorrow.



Mr Cameron said Roy Hodgson’s men had put on a 'great display' by going through the group stages.

Eliminated: We might have guessed that England's match with Italy was always going to come down to penalties

So close: Ashley Young's penalty crashes against the bar in the dramatic shoot-out

Despair: Ashley Young falls to the ground after missing a goalscoring chance and sums up how every England fan is feeling He said: 'I watched the match and I thought England showed a lot of heart, and a lot of spirit and a lot of dogged determination, as you’d expect.

'There were some brilliant individual performances and a real team effort but sadly, as has happened before, you sort of felt as you were watching that it will probably end on penalties and you knew how penalties may probably end.'

'We haven't blown people away but we stuck together, fought hard and gave every inch of effort.



It's a knockout: Ashley Cole has his crucial spotkick saved - leaving the Italians the task of scoring their final penalty to secure a semi-final spot 'However, at times we have found it difficult to keep the ball. The possession stats speak for themselves. 'It tells you that moving forward as a nation, we do need to try and improve with the ball.' The shootout was watched by more than 23 million people - the highest peak TV audience for eight years.

Mr Cameron said he was not convinced by Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon’s claim that he prepared for the game by watching movies instead of studying England’s penalty-takers. 'I think he was concentrating a bit harder than that,' he said. Happy and glorious? England fans sing the national anthem before the quarter-final

Heartbreak: An England fan at the game

'But I would like to congratulate the team and the manager and all who worked so hard with them and for them to put on a great display.

'They made the country proud to go through the group stage in the way that they did.'

England captain Steven Gerrard has vowed to lead the country to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil after the penalty shootout heartbreak.

'We have given a good account of ourselves,' he said after the game.



Overnight viewing figures showed the BBC1 coverage of the Euro 2012 quarter-final hit its height at 10.20pm with 23.2 million watching the deciding shoot-out.

An average audience of 17.4 million watched the coverage, with its extra-time and penalty climax - the highest audience of the tournament so far.

The match, which saw England packed off home, drew three-quarters of all TV viewers during England’s penalty agony.

It is the highest peak on any UK channel for eight years, since Euro 2004’s England v Portugal match - a game which similarly saw hopes dashed on penalties.

England’s previous match in Euro 2012 - a 1-0 victory over Ukraine - drew a 16.1 million average audience.