‘I couldn’t listen to it for 20 years’: Gareth Southgate on Three Lions and doing the nation proud England manager Gareth Southgate admits it has been too painful to listen to Three Lions, the David Baddiel and Frank […]

England manager Gareth Southgate admits it has been too painful to listen to Three Lions, the David Baddiel and Frank Skinner song which has become the national team’s anthem, in two decades, but that success in this World Cup has meant he can finally stand it again.

The song, performed by The Lightning Seeds, was a massive hit during Euro 96 when England reached the semi-finals in a gloriously hot summer. But while the tournament was a huge success and is fondly remembered by most, it ended in misery for Southgate when he missed the decisive penalty in the shootout against rivals Germany.

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“Football’s coming home, I couldn’t listen to it for 20 years, frankly,” Southgate said. “It has a slightly different feel for me, but it’s nice to hear people enjoying it again.

“Of course the tournament ended in disappointment and it is nice to be able to put a different frame on it now. I still look back on it as an incredible life experience and to be involved with it, I just needed a bit of time to get over it.

“I would just walk out of the room, it is an anthem and has followed the team for a long time but involved some difficult moments as well. I don’t choose to stick it on, it’s not on the playlist, but I can listen to it.”

Three Lions has exploded again during this World Cup, propelled by hundreds of memes spreading virally on social media, all making up part of England’s unexpected but exhilarating journey towards tonight’s World Cup semi-final against Croatia, the national team’s first since Italia 90. The players have spoken about how they have been keeping track online of the scenes back home while Southgate believes winning in Russia would be bigger than 1966, the only time England have won the World Cup, due to the global reach and worldwide connectivity of the game.

Doing the nation proud

Southgate added: “You learn from situations in life and you are stronger for these moments and of course when I look at where we are in a tournament, I am proud of the way the players have played.

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“They have come through so many different obstacles, improved and got even tighter. That is special, to see them play the way they have and we have a really good opportunity to get to a final. For everyone out here following us and everyone back home it is special.”

Midfielder Jordan Henderson said: “It’s a special feeling to know people back home and here are enjoying the experience as much as we are. All the celebrations inspire us as players to bring the nation together and put smiles on people’s faces. That’s the biggest thing so far. We want to continue doing everybody proud.”

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