In England, football hurt is measured in years. Four times England have met Germany in the knockout rounds of a major tournament since 1966. Generations of England fans have their own mental play-list of major tournament trauma and grief, with Germany the chief antagonist. "I would never describe England as Germany's biggest rivals," former player Dietmar Hamann told the Daily Telegraph this week. During the run to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals he spoke of the emblematic quality of his young, diverse, socially conscious squad.

Source: BBC June 28, 2021 22:18 UTC