Opinion

England reborn as its footballers end half a century of hurt

It’s only sport, you might say. Only soccer. But the fate of the team is somehow inextricably bound up in the nation’s self-identity.

Hans van LeeuwenEurope correspondent

Jul 8, 2021 – 9.03am

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London | I live in a forgotten cluster of parkland and cul-de-sacs near central London that is usually very quiet. But right now, 10 minutes’ walk from the nearest pub or main street, I can hear multitudes singing, whooping and bellowing, and car horns honking – unrestrained joy.

England have finally done it. After 55 years, the football team that has caused a nation near-ceaseless despair and disappointment, and created a gallows humour that almost defines a culture, has at last made the final of a major international tournament.

Hans van Leeuwen covers British and European politics, economics and business from London. He has worked as a reporter, editor and policy adviser in Sydney, Canberra, Hanoi and London.