While he regrets his involvement in the infamous Pizza Hut advert, Gareth Southgate got the last laugh two decades later.
The now England manager missed the crucial penalty for England in the Euro 96 last-four - and was brutally mocked in the commercial because of it. Stuart Pearce, nicknamed 'Psycho', convinced him to take part in it alongside Chris Waddle, who made fun of him throughout the advert for missing the all important shot.
In Zero to Hero The Gareth Southgate Story, author Rob Mason wrote: "Shortly after that moment when England's Euro '96 hopes collapsed when Gareth failed to 'belt it' as his mother would have advised, he was to be found along with Italia '90 penalty-missers Pearce and Waddle as the trio appeared in a TV advert for Pizza Hut.
"As 'Psycho' and 'The Waddler' take the mickey out of Southgate, Gareth sits in a restaurant with a paper bag over his head, the joke being that he daren't be seen in public.
"Having eaten a slice of Pizza Hut's finest, Southgate removes the paper bag and leaves with a smile in a slapstick ending as he says, 'Thanks a lot, boys, I feel much better now'."
The penalty miss haunted Southgate for years, with him telling FourFourTwo in 2012 that he still gets abuse about it when walking down the street. He told them: "When I missed, my first thought was for my team-mates as it was a great chance for them to win something.
"It affected me massively afterwards and it still does to this day. Every single day now, when I walk down the street, it is always mentioned to me. Of course, it is annoying. When you have played for 20 years and that is the first thing people think about you, it is a bit of a downer. Some people still abuse me about it in the street."
But Southgate got the last laugh after becoming the third manager to reach a World Cup semi-final with the England team in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. It was when he was introduced as England manager, Southgate came face-to-face with Pizza Hut when the company held their conference in the same venue hosting the football star.
Author Mason continues: "He should certainly feel better after Russia 2018 but he might at times need to put that bag back over his head to afford himself a little privacy as after the World Cup everyone will want to constantly have a part of him.
"Just to add a further topping to that lucrative pizza, two decades later when Southgate was introduced as England manager, which company should be holding their conference simultaneously in the same venue - Pizza Hut!
"Not stupid when it comes to marketing those clever people stepped in to sponsor the England national team, signing a f6m per year four- year agreement in March 2017 to commence after the 2018 World Cup."
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