Gareth Southgate says he “doesn’t believe in fairy tales, but he does believe in dreams” as he prepares to lead England into Sunday’s Euro 2024 final against Spain.
The men’s team wants to end the wait for their first trophy since winning the 1966 World Cup.
Southgate played as a player at Euro 1996, held in England but won by Germany.
Asked if he thought it was destiny that the Three Lions would now have the opportunity to win a European Championship in Germany, he said: “I don’t believe in fairy tales, but I believe in dreams.
“We had big dreams and we felt the importance of it, but you have to make these things happen.
“The run we had, the late goals and the penalties, doesn’t mean this is our moment. We have to do this tomorrow and perform.
“It would be a lovely story and it’s in our hands, but the performance is the most important thing.”
‘I want players not to be afraid’
In that 1996 tournament, Southgate missed the decisive penalty in the semi-final against Germany.
The current England team has also had difficult experiences in recent tournaments, losing on penalties to Italy in the Euro 2020 final and exiting in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after losing to France.
They were seconds away from being knocked out of the Euros in the round of 16 against Slovakia until Jude Bellingham’s shot took the game into extra time and Harry Kane’s header sealed the victory.
Since then, they have beaten Switzerland on penalties and come from behind to defeat the Netherlands and reach the final.
And Southgate believes his players should reach Sunday’s final at Berlin’s Olympiastadion against a strong Spanish team, better for their previous experience.
“I’m not afraid of what might happen [against Spain] because I’ve been through everything,” he added.
“I want the players to feel that fearlessness. I want them to be able to be the best version of themselves because no matter what happens, we are very strong as a group.”
England have ‘extra fire and hunger’ after Italy defeat
England captain Harry Kane says the final defeat to Italy at Wembley gave him and his teammates extra motivation to put things right by beating Spain.
Asked what it would mean to lift the European Championship trophy, the Bayern Munich forward added: “It would mean everything. It would be the most incredible feeling.
“For the fans to have that moment in history and celebrate that, it would be special.
“We have been here before, it was a difficult end to the last Euro, we have extra hunger and fire in our belly to make sure this one goes our way.”
‘Euro 2024 Trophy would give us respect in the world of football’
Under Southgate, England reached back-to-back European Championship finals, as well as the 2018 World Cup semi-finals and the round of 16 of the tournament in Qatar four years later.
The Three Lions coach believes his team now has the mentality of being a team that reaches the final stages of major tournaments – and feels they now need to take the next step by winning Euro 2024.
“I’ve traveled to World Cups, European Championships, watched as an observer and watched the highlights of the games on the big screens – and we weren’t at any of them,” he said.
“We needed to change that. We had high expectations, but they didn’t match where we were in terms of performance. Now the high expectations are still there, but we’ve had consistent performances, certainly in three of the last four tournaments and in a quarter-final on Wednesday.
“In the end, you have to be in the later stages of tournaments to learn how to win the big games.
“We’ve broken a lot of records, but we know we have to do this one, to win this trophy and really feel the respect of the football world.”
