England's Euro stars poised to join a select group in history


Richard Jolly
  • English
  • Arabic

England have been playing international football since 1872. More than 1,200 men have represented them and only 10 have appeared in more than one semi-final of a World Cup or a European Championship. They are so few that it is simple to name them: Stuart Pearce, David Platt and Paul Gascoigne in the 1990s, Gordon Banks, Ray Wilson, Bobby Moore, Alan Ball, Martin Peters, Bobby Charlton and Roger Hunt in the 1960s.

Now their select group should be expanded, to include Jordan Pickford, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Harry Maguire, Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling; perhaps Kieran Trippier, Jordan Henderson and Marcus Rashford too.

There are ways of illustrating what Gareth Southgate has done and how, even if the class of 1966 remain England’s lone champions, he has transformed a team and a culture.

Only Southgate and Sir Alf Ramsey have taken England to two semi-finals. Saturday’s 4-0 win over Ukraine was the first time since the 1966 final that they have scored four goals in a knockout game; the previous game against Germany represented a first knockout win against what had been the greatest tournament team of all since 1966.

England may have exported football, aiding its elevation into the global game, but Bastian Schweinsteiger has played in as many major semi-finals as them. Until now, anyway.

The BBC unearthed footage of interviews with Southgate the player from the 1990s; then a mild-mannered, eminently polite man was adamant then he did not want England to just be a quarter-final team. Should his England secure silverware, it would feel like the culmination of a life’s work. Southgate is the man who understood England’s past, learnt the lessons from it and set about constructing a team that was a repudiation of it.

He often cites the youth of his charges; most are too young to remember his missed penalty at Euro 96.

Yet constructing a side that is not burdened by history is no simple task; casting aside England’s traditional and psychological failings is easier said than done.

Part of it stems from an environment where players want to represent their country, rather than fear the consequences of it. Too many of the previous generation had far better careers at club level. That is changing: international achievers are forging memories.

Luke Shaw is one cross away from equalling the record for most assists in one European Championships, Pickford could keep more clean sheets in a tournament than any other European goalkeeper in history and Kane could win back-to-back Golden Boots. These were the sorts of things that happened to players from other countries.

It is nine years since Time Magazine’s infamous front cover of Wayne Rooney. “The tragedy of English football,” read the headline, above the sentence: “The sad saga of the world’s most disappointing team.” It is a tag England have shed by becoming a side of stature; Southgate’s symbolic axing of Rooney, the record scorer but a let-down in tournaments after Euro 2004 appears ever more significant.

Strength of decision-making has been allied with clarity of thought. Southgate has swapped personnel and formation intelligently in Euro 2020, always with reason, never to please popular opinion. He has been bold in his own way, an empathetic and thoughtful figure who has shown himself to be a man of substance. He has shown a sure touch in his footballing choices but the England team has a wider meaning and the revival led by Southgate and featuring an admirable group of people stems from an identity the country should want.

At a time when others in positions of authority have appealed to people’s worst instincts, basing careers on empty promises, lies, sloganeering and divisiveness, he has brought principle and moral leadership. And it is working.

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PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Match info

Uefa Nations League A Group 4

England 2 (Lingard 78', Kane 85')
Croatia 1 (Kramaric 57')

Man of the match: Harry Kane (England)

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Gothia Cup 2025

4,872 matches 

1,942 teams

116 pitches

76 nations

26 UAE teams

15 Lebanese teams

2 Kuwaiti teams

'Avengers: Infinity War'
Dir: The Russo Brothers
Starring: Chris Evans, Chris Pratt, Tom Holland, Robert Downey Junior, Scarlett Johansson, Elizabeth Olsen
Four stars

THE LOWDOWN

Photograph

Rating: 4/5

Produced by: Poetic License Motion Pictures; RSVP Movies

Director: Ritesh Batra

Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra, Farrukh Jaffar, Deepak Chauhan, Vijay Raaz

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champioons League semi-final, first leg:

Liverpool 5
Salah (35', 45 1'), Mane (56'), Firmino (61', 68')

Roma 2
Dzeko (81'), Perotti (85' pen)

Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome

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4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
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The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Part three: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

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4.35pm Dubai City Of Gold – Group 2 (TB) $228,000 (Turf) 2,410m

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6pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m

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Winner: AF Alareeq, Connor Beasley, Ahmed Al Mehairbi

MATCH INFO

Euro 2020 qualifier

Russia v Scotland, Thursday, 10.45pm (UAE)

TV: Match on BeIN Sports 

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UAE's role in anti-extremism recognised

General John Allen, President of the Brookings Institution research group, commended the role the UAE has played in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism.

He told a Globsec debate of the UAE’s "hugely outsized" role in the fight against Isis.

"It’s trite these days to say that any country punches above its weight, but in every possible way the Emirates did, both militarily, and very importantly, the UAE was extraordinarily helpful on getting to the issue of violent extremism," he said.

He also noted the impact that Hedayah, among others in the UAE, has played in addressing violent extremism.

Updated: July 05, 2021, 11:14 AM`