A talented little footballer who had his leg amputated when he was a baby braved the 33C Italian heat to take part in his third international training camp.

Rio Woolf of Bushey Heath was born without a tibia, knee or ankle joint – but that has not hindered his love of sports, and he runs using a blade.

Now ten, Rio was selected by The England Amputee Football Association to join the Junior Squad at this year's European Amputee Football Federation Junior Training Camp in Rome – playing with his crutches.

Rio’s mum, Juliette, said: “It was wonderful to see Rio's confidence boosted as he trained with other amputee children.”

Rio joined more than 70 young footballers aged 5-16 from ten countries.

He previously attended the Dublin 2016 and Warsaw 2017 Junior Camps.

Despite the language barrier, Juliette said the children still had no problem communicating on the pitch.

She added: “Our football fanatic had great fun learning new skills and making new friends, as well as reuniting with his fellow Juniors whom he met at previous camps.”

Rio said: “It was great meeting lots of other footballers like me from all over Europe.

“I enjoyed playing all the matches and learning different techniques in training.

“It was very hot - 33c - so we had to have water and shade breaks every 15 minutes.

“We had training in the morning and evening, so it was good to have the afternoons free as I could go sightseeing with my mum.

“I’ve learned about the Romans at school, so it was great to see The Colosseum."

You can follow Rio on FacebookTwitter and Instagram @bladeboyrio.