Brothers for ever
Three Lions home after World Cup ‘adventure’
AS the young Three Lions squad finally touched down on home soil yesterday, it was meant to be a low-key event.
Despite England getting all the way to the World Cup semi-finals, the FA had ruled out any open-top parade and airport officials urged fans to stay away.
But the connection Gareth Southgate’s heroes have forged with supporters – on what he described as a “wonderful adventure” – became clear, with 400 trying to get a glimpse of a squad that has filled them with hope for the future.
The proud team and coaching staff posed for a photo on the steps of the plane – and Raheem Sterling could not resist doing keepy-uppys on the tarmac after the four-hour flight from Russia.
Fans lined roads outside the cargo terminal as the stars were driven out, heading home after two intense months.
Their hearty welcome once again showed them just how much they had captured the nation’s hearts.
Ben Hancock, 40, and son Harry, 11, travelled from nearby Solihull to salute them.
Aston Villa fan Ben said: “They said not to come down but how could we not cheer them home. They are all heroes.
“They might not have brought football home like the song says but they’ve given everybody some pride.”
Jenna Kilgas, 38, hubby Ashley, 45, and son Zack Johnson, nine, were also delighted to see the team. Jenna, from Coleshill, Warks, said: “They excelled themselves in Russia. Nobody expected them to make the semis.
“It was a shame more fans didn’t come but airport officials said not to. The team brought a feelgood factor to the country and they deserved a heroes’ welcome.”
Vicky Moore, 44, and husband Dean, 43, from Acocks Green, held their St George’s flag aloft as the plane landed.
Dean, who went to England’s opening game against Tunisia in Volgograd, said: “Obviously we would have preferred to be in the final. But the boys gave it a great go and to make it as far as they did was beyond everyone’s dreams.”
In contrast to England’s calm arrival, tens of thousands packed Grand Place in Brussels to greet Belgium’s side, which beat the Three Lions 2-0 on Saturday in the play-off for third place. Despite finishing fourth, England produced their best performance at the tournament in almost 30 years. And striker Harry Kane spoke of his pride at taking home the Golden Boot as top scorer, following in the footsteps of 1986 winner Gary Lineker. Harry, 24, had joked he was praying for a 0-0 draw in yesterday’s final to stop French stars Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe stealing his crown. In the end, France beat England’s conqueror Croatia 4-2, to add a second title to their 1998 win. With six goals, Harry joins Eusebio, Gerd Muller, Paolo Rossi and Brazil’s
Ronaldo on the list of all-time greats. The England skipper said: “It has been a fantastic campaign for me and for the team as well. Not many people get to say that they have won the Golden Boot.”
The team was devastated after the 2-1 defeat to Croatia in Moscow last Wednesday but Harry added: “We can hold our heads high. I will never forget the fans staying behind, singing our names after that match. It showed that we have connected with the supporters again.”
Boss Southgate, 47, said: “There have been incredible physical and emotional demands on the least experienced team of the tournament. We are under no illusions as to where we stand. We have finished in the top four but we are not a top four team. Against the very best teams we have come up short. But we’ve had a wonderful adventure. I couldn’t ask any more of the players.”
Many of the young stars dashed home for emotional reunions, with defender Harry Maguire posting a heartwarming image captioned: “Lovely welcome home from friends and family.” Jamie Vardy’s wife Rebekah posted a similar image, adding: “Welcome home.”
Looking back at the tournament, the loyal band of fans who went to all England’s games covered around 17,000 miles in four weeks.
Kevin Miles, of the Football Supporters’ Federation, helped fans at the host cities. He said: “Off the pitch mirrored the experience on the pitch – the fans were surprised by Russia. It was well organised and people were very helpful.”
Steven Crouch, 35, of Birmingham, was with the 1,000 fans at Saturday’s defeat to Belgium in St Petersburg. He said: “This England team has really re-connected with the fans.”
Other highlights of the Three Lions’ run included Jordan Pickford’s save and Eric Dier’s crucial spot-kick against Colombia, which earned England’s first World Cup penalty shoot-out victory.
It was also England’s first knock-out win in 12 years and helped them to their first semi-final since Italia ’90.
And the 6-1 victory over Panama in the group stages was the Three Lions’ biggest victory margin at a World Cup.