We fancied ourselves when we set off for Germany. Everyone was confident. At Euro 2004 we’d done well and our big players were even better two years on. We had the experience of David Beckham, Michael Owen and Gary Neville, and Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard in brilliant form. And then myself. We had world-class centre halves and the best left back in world football in Ashley Cole.

We had a kind draw. Good form in the warm-up games. What could go wrong?

In this period without football, when everyone is remembering old games, I wanted readers to say which match or tournament they most wanted me to review and you answered the 2006 World Cup. I’m not surprised, because both for England and me,