NEARLY 20 years after he pounded the hallowed turf of Wembley, William “The Refrigerator” Perry returned yesterday to lend his support to London’s bid to host an NFL match next year. The Arizona Cardinals will play the San Francisco 49ers in Mexico City on Sunday in the first NFL regular season game to be played outside the United States and if it is a success, officials are considering staging a game abroad every season.

When Perry played at the old Wembley, in 1986, he used his 22st bulk to batter his way over for a touchdown to help the Chicago Bears to beat the Dallas Cowboys 17-6 in front of 82,000 spectators.

Now 30st, Perry has largely lived on his name since leaving the London Monarchs, taking part in celebrity boxing and competitive eating. “It would be great if one of the first events in the new stadium was an NFL game,” he said. “I know that NFL players would love to be part of a major international event in a venue like this.”

Adam Vinatieri’s 43-yard kick with one second left gave the New England Patriots a 23-20 win over Pittsburgh, ending the Steelers’ 16-game winning run in the regular season. The Steelers had tied the game with a four-yard touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Hines Ward with a minute left, but Tom Brady, the New England quarterback, led the Patriots on a 37-yard drive for the game-winning field goal.

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