Heart transplant to World Cup scorer: Martyn Jackson nets for England
Martyn Jackson scored for England in a 5-1 win over Spain in the final of the Transplant Football World Cup, less than two years after a donor heart saved his life.
England lifted the trophy in Frankfurt in September 2026. Jackson, 31 and from Wigan, was among the scorers as England beat Spain by four goals to close a five-day tournament, according to the World Transplant Games Federation.
Every player on the pitch in the final was a recipient of a donor organ. Matches are seven-a-side, seven players per team, played over 20-minute halves. It is full-blooded football at a shorter, sharper tempo.
Jackson's route to that final started in ordinary non-league football. In October 2024 he played for Ramsbottom United in a 2-1 win over Cheadle Town in the ninth tier of English football, the level played largely by part-time and amateur clubs.
A couple of days later he started feeling unwell during the night. In hospital he was diagnosed with myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle usually caused by infection, as reported by BBC Sport.
His condition became so severe that doctors fitted him with a mechanical pump to keep his blood moving and keep him alive. Within weeks he was placed on the super urgent waiting list, the top priority category for patients who need a donor organ immediately.
On 28 November 2024 he had successful donor heart transplant surgery at Wythenshawe Hospital in Greater Manchester. He was one year and ten months past that operation when he lined up for England in Frankfurt.
Football had always been his life. He spent his youth career in Manchester United's academy before spells at Blackburn Rovers, Preston North End and Burnley. After stepping away from chasing a professional deal, he spent 13 years with clubs across the non-league pyramid, the network of divisions below the top four leagues.
The way back came through family. During his recovery his wife Lucy saw the England Transplant FC team opportunity on social media. He joined the England transplant squad in January 2026 under manager Daley Cross. His role tends to involve 10-minute bursts rather than full matches, a planned way to manage load after major surgery.
His story has also been featured by NHS Blood and Transplant in an appeal urging football fans to register their organ donation decision, according to NHS Blood and Transplant.
What makes this stand out is the speed of it. One autumn he was playing 11-a-side on a cold non-league pitch. The next, he needed a new heart to live. Two years on, he was scoring in an England shirt while another transplant recipient tried to stop him.
