Today at Trafalgar Square, England will celebrate the first major success for a senior international football team since Sir Alf Ramsey’s men in 1966.
The architect of this victory, the calm and steely Dutchwoman Sarina Wiegman, hailed England’s success in the Women’s European Championship as “incredible” and “society-changing”.
She paid tribute to the players who paved the way, and looked ahead to fresh challenges, but first, she added, “we party”.
As if on cue, the players burst into the lecture room deep in the bowels of Wembley, where press conferences are conducted, singing Three Lions, the Lightning Seeds anthem that has finally come to fruition, 26 years after it was composed.
The players, still in kit with beers in hand and medals around their necks, conga-ed around the room with goalkeeper Mary Earps jumping on the desk. Wiegman looked very pleased, and mildly surprised.
She need not have been. Five yeas ago, in a much smaller room in Enschede, her Dutch players did something similar after they had beaten Denmark 4-2 to win this title. That had been an open, exhilarating game. Yesterday’s 2-1 defeat of Germany, after extra time, was a tenser affair.
“I think what we have done is really incredible,” said Wiegman. “I know all England is behind us, that is what we noticed when we came to the stadium, but over the whole tournament we had so much support from the fans. I am so proud of the team and staff.”
As Sir Alex Ferguson once noted, the curse of being a successful coach is you can never enjoy the view from the mountain top, you are always looking to climb a higher one. In this case the next peak is 385 days and 12,000 miles away, the final of the Women’s World Cup in Sydney, Australia.
“Now we have won the Euros, expectation will go through the roof again” recognised Wiegman, but she added: “First we will party – for the first time in years I had a beer – I don’t like beer but I drank it and enjoyed it. Then some time off. Then prepare to finish qualifying for the World Cup.”
It is an indication of how far the sport has travelled that among the topics being debated ahead of the Netherlands’ victory five years ago was the dismissal by Arnold Muhren of women’s football.
The former Netherlands and Manchester United midfielder had criticised the players’ speed and mindset, arguing any amateur team would beat them 20-0.
Five years on, England’s men have been vocally supporting the women, Manchester City’s Portuguese players were among those doing the same in person for their team, and men and boys across the country have been watching and cheering on the Lionesses.
“I think this tournament has really made a change,” said Wiegman. “It has done so much for the game, but also for society, and women in society in England and across Europe and the world too.”
Amid the joy there was poignancy. At the final whistle, before jumping into the arms of her coach Arjen Veurink, Wiegman had paused and kissed a wristband. She explained it was in memory of her sister who passed away in the build-up to this tournament.
“It was my sister’s,” she said. “I really miss her because she was my mate. I think she was here on the crossbar. She would be really proud of me and I of her.”
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