England fans won’t fail to see the irony in that a player nicknamed after Diego Maradona will be key to winning the World Cup.But League Two Bristol Rovers knew after just one training session that a teenage Elliot Anderson would become one of the greats.Anderson was named Player of the Match in his first two England appearances, against Andorra and SerbiaGetty“Always good to talk about the Geordie Maradona,” was how Rovers president Wael Al-Qadi began an exclusive interview with talkSPORT.com. “Joe Barton labelled him with that, and it stuck with the Gas Heads that he’s our Geordie Maradona.”Anderson is only 339 minutes into his senior England career, and yet he’s already been guaranteed a seat on the plane by talkSPORT’s Adrian Durham.No player under Thomas Tuchel has made more forward passes than Anderson’s 98 since his senior international debut against Andorra.A mark of his instant influence on the Three Lions came on Tuesday, when Anderson completed 115 passes in the opposition half; for context, the entire Latvia team managed just 66 in England’s half.Al-Qadi added: “We’re not only proud, we’re just amazed. But we kind of knew it because we knew we had something special there.“Although he was only 19 when he came. I remember speaking to Joe and Eddie Jennings, who was the Director of Football and the CEO.“We always knew that he would reach such heights. We believed that he would because when you work with him day to day, you could tell basically.”Anderson had only made two senior appearances for his boyhood club, Newcastle, when he was sent out on loan to Bristol Rovers.Three years later, after his England debut, Tuchel’s instant reaction to his performance was to say, “I think he passed the test.”Fittingly, the start of his meteoric rise involved a similar type of audition when the midfielder was initially unfancied by a team languishing in mid-table in League Two.Bristol Rovers still hold former loan star Anderson in extremely high regardHe is now one of the Premier League’s best midfieldersGettyElliot Anderson transferBristol Rovers were 12th in the League Two table when they completed a deadline day move for Anderson in January 2022.Despite his inexperience at senior level, the then-teen had scored seven goals in nine outings in all competitions for Newcastle’s U23s.However, then-Pirates boss Barton – a former Magpies player – had to be convinced by an ex-teammate to take the chance on Anderson.A move to Luton Town had broken down, while rumoured interest from Fleetwood Town and Northampton had failed to materialise.Al-Qadi said: “It was a very funny story there because we were looking for an attacking midfielder, and we had our targets. Anderson’s transition to the EFL was as seamless as it was to international football“And because of Joe and Eddie’s strong footballing network and connections, you always get names thrown around from their colleagues in different clubs. “So, Shola Ameobi, [then-loan manager at Newcastle], he called Joe up and said, ‘Listen to me, just take this kid.’ Joe, being Joe, was like, ‘No, I’m not going to take him. “’How come nobody else has taken him? Now he must be crap then if you’re trying to push him onto us and nobody has taken him.’“Shola was like, ‘No, trust me, trust me, and just take him.’”A conversation with Newcastle loan manager Ameobi was instrumental in the dealGettyElliot Anderson £250 wagesHaving missed out on other targets, Barton eventually sanctioned the move on deadline day.Rovers ultimately agreed a deal to pay just £250 a week on Anderson’s wages – half of what Newcastle had originally proposed.“First training session, our lads were just blown away,” the club’s president said to talkSPORT. “All of them were talking about him. “Usually, a kid coming in on loan that’s so late in the window it takes time for him to get some minutes. “But I remember he immediately made the first of the playing starting 11. And he’s just never looked back.”Anderson drew comparisons to a teenage Maradona after scoring against ColchesterGettyAnderson was ‘Messi of League Two’The Nottingham Forest star made his debut for Rovers two days after signing, in a 1-1 draw with promotion-chasing Sutton United.His first start came in the following match – a 2-1 defeat to Oldham Athletic – but what happened next has gone down in club folklore.Rovers only lost two more matches for the rest of the season, with Anderson scoring eight goals and registering five assists.He won the Goal of the Month in March and claimed both the EFL Young Player and EFL League Two Player of the Month awards that April.Anderson joined Newcastle at the age of eight but announced himself in League TwoGettyElliot Anderson stats at Bristol RoversAppearances21 (Starts 20)Goals8 (0 penalties)Assists5League Two position upon arrival 12thFinal position3rd (Automatic promotion to League One)Individual awardsSky Bet League Two Goal of the Month winner, March 2022EFL Young Player of the Month, April 2022The League Two Player of the Month, April 2022After a 1-0 win over Colchester United, in which he scored the winner, Anderson was compared to iconic Argentine Maradona by Barton.“It was just incredible. He was a huge factor in our surge upwards towards the promotion places; every goal was breathtaking.”The highlight of his stint came on the final day of the League Two season, as Rovers sealed automatic promotion on goal difference.Anderson scored the seventh decisive strike in the historic 7-0 win over Scunthorpe to ensure the Gas bettered Northampton Town‘s 3-1 victory at Barrow by five goals, sparking a pitch invasion that suspended the match for almost 20 minutes.“I think it might have been his first header and his only header during his loan,” Al-Qadi continued. “It was so fitting because it was like icing on the cake. We needed seven goals, and he scored the seventh goal.”Anderson’s final action in a Bristol Rovers shirt sealed their promotion to League OneElliot Anderson will be a World Cup winnerThe 22-year-old departed St James’ Park for Premier League rivals Forest in July 2024 and has gone from strength to strength.His continued success remains a point of joy for his former loan side, but those at Rovers are in no doubt he’s nowhere near his ceiling yet.Al-Qadi told talkSPORT: “The feeling is the feeling of being proud and happy to be associated with such a player, who we believe is going to be one of the greats, honestly.Anderson’s dramatic rise has been incredibleGetty “You could just see it like when we got promoted afterwards, the celebration, how much it meant to him and how much more he wanted of this success. “Some people, you get promoted, you have to win by seven, and you score seven and get promoted. You would say, ‘OK, I can die now.’“He wants more. He wants the next level. He wants to win it all, and he’s going to be hungry for that. Those are the ingredients you need for success.“Hopefully, we’ll see Elliot as a World Cup winner one day….It’s going to happen. Trust me!”