Oh, I'm not disputing that England will go deep into tournaments over the coming years. This one, for starters, looks like it will be a quarter-final minimum. I do, however, think they've missed their best chance to win a tournament. The circumstances will simply not be as favourable again - until Euro 2028 anyway. As for likeability, I don't think it matters. Luis Suarez is a hateful figure, but what a magnificent footballer he has been. Regardless, this idea that the current England squad is likeable is a dubious notion. While it was wonderful to see so many of them standing up to the racists and right-wing Conservatives on matters of discrimination, they were rather more silent on another huge issue of the day: vaccination - especially given the dramatically lower levels of vaccination in the Premier League compared to the Bundesliga and Serie A. So, while I don't think it matters whether they are likeable or not, they are not quite the shining liberal lights that some might once have painted them as. That said, I don't expect them to be role models. I expect them to be bloody good footballers (given their earnings, etc.). Some of them are. Most of them are pretty lucky to be earning what they are given their more modest talents.
