England's Place In World Soccer: The Golden Age Is Approaching

The fact that Great Britain is the birthplace of soccer in the British Isles is known to one and all. Both average citizens, members of the royal family and regulars of the allwins casino, dreaming of ripping off a decent score. No wonder that England had a special place in the hierarchy of world soccer. And this place was always to be the first. And the first decades of the twentieth century only confirmed this statement.

It was a time when soccer around the world was just emerging thanks to English sailors, who introduced the local population of the planet with their favorite game. So, by the way, the whole world and “got sick” of soccer.

The vain snobbery of a great soccer nation

At first, the English were bored to hold games with any opponents, as the difference in class between them and anyone else was too great. Any opponent turned into a regular “whipping boy”, followed by a brutal defeat.

It was the time of the first World Cup, where the English team invariably received an invitation. But the English Football Federation ignored the world forums, believing that wasting time and effort to play with weak opponents is not necessary. So the England national team gradually began to develop snobbery, which was based on victories in friendly matches at the very beginning of the twentieth century. It was this snobbery that almost turned Britain into a country in which the favorite sport of millions was born.

It was the 1950 World Cup in Brazil that changed everything. It was here that the myth of the invincibility of the British was dispelled, who were able to achieve a single victory over the Chileans, while losing to the Spaniards and Americans. Especially painful was the defeat of the U.S. team, as in this match English professionals faced the most ordinary amateurs. From such a disgrace, the country recovered not immediately, as its entire population counted only on winning the championship, no less.

At the same time, the long-standing hegemony of English teams in club soccer became doubtful. Soccer teams from Hungary and the USSR had the opportunity to play with the best English clubs and repeatedly defeated them in friendly matches. The next world championship in Switzerland did not change the situation much for the better. Except that the English managed to get into a series of playoffs, where they lost in the first round to the national team of Uruguay 4:2.

Similarly, the situation at the European Championships, held since the mid-50s of the last century. Here, too, the British could not get on the podium. Something had to change.

England – the best team on the planet

Finally, in 1966, England had the opportunity to host the World Cup at home. Before the tournament, the English were immediately among the main contenders for victory. In favour of the hosts spoke and the strength of the team, and the location of the championship. At the group stage, the British defeated the French and Mexicans, as well as played a draw with Uruguay, which allowed the hosts to take first place in the group and proceed to the playoff stage. Then defeated were the national teams of Argentina and Portugal, after which the British in the final had to beat the team of Germany, which became world champion in 1954.

The final match was a real decoration of the tournament, in which the British in a hard-fought success with a score of 4:2. For England, the victory was a real triumph, as the hosts were able to prove to the entire world community that Foggy Albion is at the forefront of world soccer.

Decades of failure against a backdrop of futile endeavours

After the World Cup at home, at first it seemed that the British finally took their rightful place in the soccer hierarchy. But the victory in 1966 remained the only one for the progenitors of soccer. Not only that, England did not even always make it to the world forums, remaining outside the main tournament of the quadrennium. Thus, the World Cups of 1974, 1978 and 1994 were held without the participation of the English team.

Of course, by inertia and tradition, still in the course of the championships, the English continued to be counted among the main contenders for victory. But, either the English themselves were not distinguished by any outstanding game, or the opponents were more skillful in the course of the tournament. And it would seem that the national team was made up of really strong players, but still something was missing.

A little bit more and back on top

When even the most devoted English fans stopped believing in miracles, the team suddenly began to show a decent game at major tournaments. First, the national team took fourth place at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, followed by silver medals at the 2020 European Championship. It is worth noting that some fairy game the team did not show, but at the same time a decent result was still present.

And again, the entire soccer community of Britain believed in the team, hoping that big victories are near. Moreover, the young generation of soccer players has grown really cool. And the fans of the British, their own and foreign, can only hope and believe.