Hey Jude!: Football hero honoured as baby sloth given Euro 2024 inspired name at Dudley Zoo

But now a new addition at Dudley Zoo has been named after him – though it may not be as fleet footed as the young midfielder who will take his place in the England team for the final on Sunday.

The two-toed sloth was born just before the tournament started on June 5 to mum Flo and dad Reggie - their third offspring and has not been sexed yet as it is still clinging to its mother.

Sloths are noted for their slowness of movement and spend most of their lives hanging upside down in the trees of the tropical rainforests of South America and Central America.

The zoo put out an appeal on its social media pages to name the new addition and there was overwhelming support for the name Jude, with the 21-year-old one of the stars of England's path to the final.

Dudley Zoo's primate section leader, Jodie Dryden, said: “Jude was an obvious moniker for our baby, who was born just before the start of the Euros, as we throw our support behind Jude and the team ahead of Sunday’s final.

"Both Flo and her newborn are doing really well. With it being her third baby in two years, she’s very experienced and her one year-old daughter, Zippy is taking a keen interest in her new brother or sister."

Native to the tropical forests of northern Southern America, Linne’s two-toed sloths are listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List.

However, they are decreasing in number, as not only are they losing their habitat, but they’re also vulnerable to predators too.

“Plus, as we don’t yet know the baby’s sex, as it’s still clinging tightly to mum, Jude is also a lovely unisex name and suits baby really well," Jodie said.