England stars given heroes' welcome as they arrive in Miami #BringBackOurGirls #Entertain9jar via @myentertain9jar

ENGLAND’S footballers were given a heroes’ welcome when they jetted into Miami to kick off their World Cup campaign.

England stars Steven Gerrard, Jack Wilshere, Wayne Rooney and Adam Lallana arrive in Miami today[SPLASH]

Roy Hodgson’s Three Lions were greeted by dozens of cheering fans as they arrived at Fort Lauderdale Airport on Sunday night.
And they were not just England supporters - American soccer fans waited for up to five hours just to catch a glimpse of stars including Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard.
Armed sheriff’s department officers were taken aback by the size of the crowd and hastily erected barricades to keep fans at bay.
One delighted American fan even pulled out one of his football boots from his travelling bag and persuaded five of the players to sign it.
Last night locals said their interest in the game had been stirred by England legend David Beckham’s new major league soccer franchise in the city more famous for baseball and American Football.
England’s players – who were dressed casually in England polo shirts and tracksuit bottoms - looked delighted by the warmth of their reception in the sticky Florida heat.

Gerrard and Liverpool team-mate Jordan Henderson aboard the team coach [SPLASH]

Captain Steven Gerrard gave a hug to overwhelmed US high school student Katrina Gawel, 17, who hails from a family of Liverpool fans and burst into tears at meeting her hero.
Katrina, who was wearing a red England shirt said: “Oh my God. My heart is beating so fast. I’m about to cry.
“That was amazing. It was one of the best days of my life. We’ve waited five hours and all I really wanted was to see Stevie. He’s my hero.
“All my friends will be so jealous. I even got a hug from Jack Wilshere too. Everyone here is into soccer since [David] Beckham started a team. He’s here all the time. It’s got everyone excited.”

One delighted fan managed to persuade five players to sign his boot [SPLASH]

England will be playing at the Miami Dolphins stadium and there will be 85,000 people there which is incredible

American fan John Bradley

Smiling Gerrard – who turned 34 on Friday – even signed an autograph for a young fan wearing an Argentinian shirt.
Another American fan John Bradley, who was sporting a Celtic shirt in honour of his goalkeeper hero Fraser Forster, said: “Everyone loves British soccer here.
“England will be playing at the Miami Dolphins stadium and there will be 85,000 people there which is incredible.”

England boss Roy Hodgson will be hoping to lead his side to success [SPLASH]

Hodgson’s team looked relaxed and happy after their nine-hour flight from Luton Airport through storms currently hitting America’s east coast on what is the first day of hurricane season.
The England players left in a cavalcade of two luxury coaches flanked by police patrol cars and unmarked SUV people carriers with blacked-out windows containing security personnel.
The squad and backroom staff were whisked away to one of Miami’s top hotels where they will spend a week, playing two warm-up matches, before flying onto their World Cup base in Rio.
There was no sign of any WAGs as the team touched down in Florida but Rooney’s and Gerrard’s wives Coleen and Alex are expected to join them in Brazil, where Hodgson is plans to strike a balance between a boot camp regime and the almost holiday atmosphere of Germany in 2006.