I I don’t remember much from my early childhood, but I do remember the summer of 1996, shortly after my eighth birthday, when England hosted a major football tournament for the first time in 30 years. I remember seeing house windows and cars adorned with English flags. I remember marveling at David Seaman’s garish set. And I remember the birth of our country’s most famous football anthem, Three Lions. Here’s the interesting thing: I don’t remember the semi-final shooting. The mood of the country, the songs, the spectacle – that’s what stayed with me.
The years that followed were filled with blissful highs and agonizing lows when it came to national and international football. These feelings have never been more acute or condensed,