🎥 EFL Performance of the Weekend: Big Ben right on time for Rovers | OneFootball

Ben Brereton’s career trajectory from middling Championship forward to South American sensation is truly one of football’s most remarkable recent tales.

Born in Stoke with a Chilean mother, Brereton initially came through the Nottingham Forest academy before joining Blackburn permanently in 2019.

Nine goals in three seasons didn’t exactly scream ‘international class goalscorer’ but with a shortage of fit forward options this summer, Chile decided to get Brereton a passport and into their Copa America squad for the 2021 tournament.

It worked a treat and his bustling, British-style of play helped them to the quarter-finals and made ‘Big Ben’ a cult hero on the streets of Santiago.

Whatever’s in the water there has worked a treat because Brereton – now Brereton Diaz – has taken his Copa America form and brought it back to Ewood Park.

This weekend was the apotheosis of that with the 22-year-old scoring his first professional hat-trick as Blackburn beat Cardiff 5-1 to leapfrog into sixth place.

A player full of confidence that could well take Rovers into the play-offs for the first time since 1992.

Si Señor!

Honourable mentions

Fulham supporter Rhys Porter was the victim of some horrific online abuse in midweek.

The cerebral-palsy sufferer was targeted by trolls after posting videos of himself playing in goal for a local team.

But having become aware of the bullying, Fulham made Porter and honorary member of their squad and then went straight to the teenager after scoring at Bristol City on Saturday.

A lovely moment.