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WE catch up With our favourite faces in football to talk all things Euro 2020 and how they rate the three lions’ prospects in the tournament
The Euros may be a year late, but that’s just ramped up the excitement even more. With holidays abroad off the cards for most of us, it’s all about enjoying ourselves on home soil – and nothing screams British summertime like watching football in the sunshine with your mates.
Here, we chat to Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, Rio Ferdinand and Micah Richards as they pick out the players to look out for. Plus, they discuss who England’s biggest rivals could be – but there’s a word of warning from French footballing legend Thierry Henry…
How much do we all need the Euros right now?
Rio: The country’s morale is definitely in need of a boost after the pandemic.
Alan: It should be a brilliant tournament. It’s been a long, tough year for so many people. Gary: It’s something to look forward to. We love a big tournament and if England win a few games, everyone will get excited and get carried away.
England has a crop of outstanding players at the moment. Who are the ones to watch? Micah: You heard it here first... If Jack Grealish is injury-free, he’ll be the star of the tournament. He’s world class.
Rio: I think Jack Grealish would disagree with you, “Mee-cah”.
Micah: We’re going into a major tournament together. My name – for crying out loud – is Micah! Like Michael, but shorter. Please!
There’ll be millions of people watching. Alan: If there are gonna be millions watching, Micah, can you get a jacket that fits? [Laughs]
Gary, who will be the key attackers? Gary: For the first time in living memory there’s strength in depth. It’s a lovely problem for Gareth Southgate to have and means he can rotate the team a little bit. He should be able to maintain a high-pressure game without lowering the standard of the players on the pitch.
Alan, you won the Golden Boot in Euro ‘96 for scoring the most goals in the tournament. Could Harry Kane repeat his World Cup success and do the same? Alan: Absolutely. Harry will score goals and will be right up there challenging for that Golden Boot. I’ve no doubt about that.
Are there any breakout stars we should be watching out for?
Micah: Phil Foden. We’ve all seen what he can do at his best.
How do you rate England’s chances? Alan: I’d expect us to get to the semi-final. Gary: Expectations are always high in this country, but I think England have a real chance in this tournament. That’s the first time I’ve realistically been able to say that in a decade. But let’s not jinx them. Micah: We’ve got an array of young talent who are fearless so I’m gonna go big and say the semi-finals.
Rio: Honestly, I think France could run away with it. They’re serial winners and they’ve got talent in abundance. I can’t look past them at the moment, but England have a good chance.
Speaking of France – Thierry, what kind of threat do they pose?
Thierry: We’re world champions. We won the World Cup without [Karim] Benzema – one of the world’s best strikers – and suddenly we’ve got the luxury of having him back for the Euros. To have that type of squad is just crazy.
Do England have a chance? Thierry: England have some really, really good players. But to win a big tournament, you need a big goalkeeper. Don’t ever forget that.
Lastly, Thierry, is Jack Grealish world class? Thierry: [Laughs] Kevin De Bruyne and Kun Agüero are world class. I’m not saying Grealish won’t be in the future. I hope for you guys and I hope for him that he will be.
Watch England’s first match against croatia on sunday 13 june at 2pm on BBC one