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For so long a symbol of serial sporting underachievement, the England men’s football team stand on the threshold of what would be a seminal achievement.
Sunday night’s European Championship final (kick-off 20:00 BST) represents a chance to shake off the failure that had come to define the side, and secure legendary status for the players and their manager.
And with many millions watching on, provide the country with a moment of togetherness. One that will be cherished for generations to come.
Gareth Southgate’s side has made a habit of reaching the business end of major tournaments over recent years, a rare source of consistency in the national landscape at a time of political volatility. Indeed, during the manager’s eight years in charge, there has been five UK prime ministers.
The comparison is apt, because as well as leading a team that forms part of the country’s identity, Southgate has been expected to comment on a range of societal issues during his tenure – one that coincided with the Covid pandemic, a cost-of-living crisis, and division. Few sporting figures would have handled such a challenge with as much thought and eloquence.
“We live in what’s been an angry country. I would love that to be different as we move forward. Hopefully we can bring some temporary happiness,” Southgate said, as he prepared for Sunday’s final against Spain, alluding to his strong sense of patriotism, the criticism he received during the early stages of the Euros, and the forces of pride, joy and unity that victory would unleash.
Whatever happens against opponents Spain in Berlin, Southgate’s legacy as the man who nursed the England team back to health is already assured. No other manager of the men’s side has reached a major overseas final. No other has reached a Euros final, let alone two in consecutive tournaments.
The moments of individual brilliance, courage and never-say-die resolve of his men have restored pride. The dismal cycle of humiliations, penalty shootout defeats, resignations, reviews, scandals and divided squads that came to define the team over two decades has been consigned to history. Young talent has been introduced, loyalty has been afforded to a core group of players, preparation has been professionalised, the shirt no longer weighs heavily.
Southgate took charge of England in 2016, but his attempts to help restore credibility to English football had begun five years earlier when he joined the Football Association (FA) as its new director of elite development, before managing the under-21s.
His early years coincided with the opening of the national football centre at St George’s Park and the introduction of the ‘England DNA’ – a coaching strategy designed to boost elite performance. Southgate was a key part of the effort that laid the foundations for England’s under-17s and under-20s winning World Cups, and the under-19s becoming European champions.
And yet, for all the strides the senior team has made under his leadership, silverware has remained stubbornly elusive. The years since their only major title – the 1966 World Cup – have continued to tick by.
While England’s Lionesses delivered a seismic Euros triumph in 2022 on home soil, the nation’s first major football trophy for 56 years, the men’s team has continued to fall agonisingly close. World Cup semi-finalists in 2018. Finalists at the Euros in 2021. Quarter-finalists at the World Cup a year later.
The eventual disappointment on each of these occasions only reinforced the sense held by some that Southgate was destined to be the nearly man of English football. A manager who may have revitalised the side from the ignominy of previous years, but who did not quite have what it took to deliver the glory the country craved.
Such sentiments have echoed around England’s campaign in Germany, as the team initially produced laboured performances that failed to match the elevated expectations surrounding an exceptional generation of players.
Southgate struggled to get the balance of the team right, and eyebrows were raised when he said he was still “experimenting” with his midfield.
Some pundits criticised his side in the harshest possible terms, and cups of beer were even thrown at the manager by some fans after a goalless draw against Slovenia. It was clear that the scrutiny upset Southgate, as the pressure built.
England needed a last-gasp comeback to avoid what would have been a devastating defeat by Slovakia in the last 16, then scraped past Switzerland on penalties. Only against the Netherlands in the semi-final, when England had to come from behind for the third match in a row, enjoying some good fortune when awarded a penalty, did they finally produce the kind of football that justified their pre-tournament billing as favourites.
But that rousing victory amid an atmosphere of shuddering intensity, earned Southgate another chance to silence the critics that clearly affected his morale in Germany.
To confound those who, despite the resilience of his side, and the way his tactics, selections and substitutions have largely been vindicated at this tournament, suggest he has benefitted from favourable draws.
Those who believed he had taken the side as far as he could and who would have preferred that he had walked away from the job after the last World Cup, as he came close to doing after sensing faith in him was fading.
Those who would have preferred that he and his players “stick to football”, a view the manager firmly rejected in 2021 when he wrote: “Our players are role models. And, beyond the confines of the pitch, we must recognise the impact they can have on society. I have a responsibility to the wider community to use my voice, and so do the players. It’s their duty to continue to interact with the public on matters such as equality, inclusivity and racial injustice.”
Few will be criticising Southgate for such a stand if England triumph in Berlin. None will argue he is lucky if his side can overcome the might of Spain – a genuine footballing heavyweight, boasting world-class players – the most impressive team at these Euros.
If his side can join the Lionesses as European champions, and the 58-year itch is finally scratched. And if – in his 102nd match in charge – he joins Sir Alf Ramsey as the only men to lead England to a major title.
Almost three decades ago, as an England player, Southgate suffered the pain and regret of missing a decisive penalty at Wembley in the semi-finals of the Euros against Germany.
Three years ago he could only watch as some of his young players suffered the same fate at the same stadium, as England lost to Italy in another shootout, this time in the final.
Now, in the epic surroundings of Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, on European football’s grandest stage, and in what many believe will be his last match as manager, he can finally exorcise those demons, and heal the wounds of those memories. As a nation stops to watch, and dares to dream, Southgate’s story of redemption can be completed. And England’s long, long wait can end.