England's progression to a first-ever major tournament final on foreign soil at Euro 2024 is the fruit of a decade of work on a player-development program that has turned a perennial underachiever into a serial contender.
Ending a 58-year wait to win a major trophy at the senior men's international level is the final hurdle left to clear for Gareth Southgate's men in Sunday's final against Spain after consistent success at the youth level and in the women's game.
Just months after the Three Lions crashed out of 2014 World Cup with one game to spare in the group stage, Southgate — then in his role as under-21 boss — appeared alongside English Football Association's technical director Dan Ashworth.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.