“I think of the Malaysian football fans cheering on English clubs, the Chinese children reciting English poems, the English bands blaring from Brazilian radios, English charities and aid money saving African lives, and English soldiers’ names – so many of them – carved onto white stone in foreign fields,” Cameron said in his St George’s Day message, issued by 10 Downing Street today.

Malaysians are well known for their passion for football, with huge followings for English teams.

Prime Minister Najib Razak as well as Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin are both huge supporters of Manchester United.

England’s St George’s Day is seen as the country’s national day to remember the death of St George, England’s patron saint.

Cameron also noted how St George’s Day shares the same date as the passing of William Shakespeare, stating that the Bard’s genius had captivated and changed the world, and that the men and women across England continue to do that today.