Gareth Southgate remembers it as the summer he fell in love with the World Cup.
Running home from school in 1982 and watching his hero, Bryan Robson, scoring after just 27 seconds as England beat France 3-1. Now, the story has gone full circle as Southgate is leading England against France in a World Cup quarter-final and there is a real sense of destiny ahead of Saturday’s showdown.
Southgate, who was 11 back in the summer of 1982, still believes representing the Three Lions at a World Cup is the biggest honour for any player, and that will be the driving force behind his team talks in the build-up.
