“I “I hadn’t hit puberty yet,” Gary Lineker says with a laugh. Then he pauses and adds: “I’m telling you the truth, I’m not lying. I was hiding in the showers.” The conversation inevitably turns to Ramin Yamal, the schoolboy shouldering England’s hopes of winning their first trophy since 1966 – something the former captain calls his “lifelong ambition” as a player and announcer – and everyone is asking the same question. you What were you doing at 16? “I’d just joined Leicester City as an apprentice,” Lineker recalls. That’s not bad, and it’s better than sneaking into a pub with a fake ID, but look here.
Lineker watched Euro 2024 from the Brandenburg Gate and described it as a tournament where “the fans were the highlight, showing that humans can get along even when they’re tribal,” but also one where they “started well” but then “stagnated a bit” later in the group stage, getting beaten by Spain, Germany, Austria and Turkey. “Teams that play brave, attacking football tend to be the ones that succeed, and that’s encouraging,” Lineker said, although he stressed that his notorious description of England’s match against Denmark as “crap” was not the same as saying England was crap. But now we have a “dream final” in a tournament with a “flawed” group format.
“I haven’t seen a game yet but I’m going to the final,” Lineker says with a laugh. “It’s a big day and I’m going to do just like John Terry, put on the England shirt, go up on stage and lift the trophy.”
If Spain can match that, they’re a great opponent. “I like their approach, the way they play,” Lineker says. “I like how they’re fearless, pushing their wingers high and pressing aggressively. They were the much better team against France and have been for most of the game. They’ve won all six games without needing a penalty shootout. They’ve got good players across the side, Pedri, [Dani] Olmo. The two wingers are fantastic. [Álvaro] Morata sacrifices himself for the team. “I like the way he moves. Rodri has been the best defensive midfielder in the world, at least for the last few years. I think he will be MVP of the tournament… unless the 16-year-old wins it. Ramin Yamal is amazing. It’s unbelievable what he can do at that age.”
This boy turns 17 on Saturday and, in the words of former Argentina international and broadcaster Diego Latorre, “smells of genius.” Lineker laughs: “I haven’t gotten close to him and had a good sniff yet. In my experience of teenage boys – I’ve had four – they don’t smell very good, but I’ve never seen a 16-year-old like that.”
“I remember the rise of Wayne Rooney and we all knew he was special but even he didn’t do anything like this. Pele scored two goals in the World Cup final but he was 17, almost 18. [Lionel] “Messi didn’t break through internationally until he was in his late teens. What we’re seeing here is something very special. Just how special we’ll have to wait and see. I just can’t comprehend anything like what he’s doing.”
“When I was at Leicester I was 18 and very conscious of being a kid,” Lineker added. “Puberty is no joke. I literally hid in the showers and stuff. I felt like an unmanly person. It was pretty tough. I scored goals but it wasn’t until I was 21, 22 that I started to feel comfortable in that environment. At 16?! It’s not like, ‘This kid’s got talent, let’s give him a go’. No. He’s played consistently as if it’s the easiest thing in the world.
“I’ve never seen anything like this. Messi is like someone from another planet. [comparison] It’s up to him, but if Ramin keeps his feet on the ground and doesn’t get seriously injured, he’ll definitely be something special. He’s already something special. If you were to rate the players in this tournament regardless of age, he’d be in the top three or four. At 16 years old… he’s a kid! Some kids live up to expectations, but many don’t. But with talent like this, I don’t think there’s any reason why some great things won’t happen.”
All of this is not good for England. “Well, it may be an advantage for England playing a team that is in good form and in good form,” Lineker suggests. “There may be more space than in other games where they’ve been in a low block a lot. It’s no mean feat to get to the final, and England have something like Real Madrid, right? In finding a way.” [Jude] Bellingham’s overhead kick was a penalty kick against Slovakia. [historically] “Not doing too well in shootouts and then being last to score in the semifinals. That’s probably something we’re not used to.”
That, too, is unlikely. Euro 2024 hasn’t been a good start for England, and Lineker said so. His criticism of the Denmark game was responded to by England captain Harry Kane, who said former players should show “responsibility” and remember they too have been through similar experiences. Have you spoken to him? “I don’t have Harry’s phone number,” Lineker says, pondering. “Have you actually met him? I don’t think so. I don’t think I’ve ever met him face to face.” Alan [Shearer] You may have his number and have sent him a message.
“I was treated a bit unfairly by that. I never said Harry Kane or England were bad. I asked to be sure. I said ‘that’ was bad – ‘that’ was the game – but to Harry it came across as ‘Gary Lineker said you were bad’. It’s a bit vulgar. But I think they understand. It was the same when I was playing. They said ‘Jimmy Greaves says you’re not the same since you had hepatitis’ – rather than me being older and worse on the feet. He was right. We are paid to give our honest opinions. You can’t fool people. And if it’s not good, it’s not good. We want to get excited about a great, thumping England performance but it’s not easy, we know that.
“Harry’s movements are a little bit awkward but he still scored three goals because he’s one of the best finishers I’ve ever seen. His penalty from a corner was also great. He’s got great quality. But when you have a four-man midfield box, you don’t want a striker in that box because it’s too crowded and he becomes too easy to defend. I have a lot of respect for him, I love him. He’s one of the best England footballers of all time and England’s best goalscorer. But it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t play the full 90 minutes and we have a great option in someone like Ollie Watkins, who is fundamentally about running in behind.”
And then there’s the team’s other superstar. “The team struggled a bit, they had depth and they weren’t balanced and I think Jude Bellingham suffered a bit for that,” Lineker says. “He would never have continued to score the goals he did in the first half of the season because he’s not that kind of player. Personally, I think he’s a number eight, a box-to-box midfielder. Was he the star of the tournament? No. But he’s had some really big moments, he’s been even better since the system changed and he’s got an incredible winning mentality. They got to the final and he was vital to making it happen.”
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“They haven’t been in great form but the last two games they’ve been better. They’re more cohesive and they’ve had some magical moments. That’s how football is often. They’ve gradually gotten better, which is a lot better than starting well and then tapering off. You just work hard enough, keep going and hopefully you get back on track. And I think that’s what happened.”
“The point is, it’s not easy, and we know it. [at the World Cup]They made it to the semi-finals, but in their match against the Republic of Ireland [in the opening game] It was a dud. The third game against Egypt was awful but we managed to get through. Belgium was close. We almost lost to Cameroon with eight minutes to go. We would have been totally devastated if we had lost. But we found a breakthrough. There are obvious parallels to now. Alan said the same thing about Euro 96. The Switzerland game was absolutely awful. Scotland missed a penalty. That’s tournament football. It’s so difficult. Losing on penalties was heartbreaking. When you lose, it just feels awful.
“I don’t think we’ve always had the best luck in tournaments before but maybe this time. I thought the penalty in particular in the semi-final was incredibly tough – it reminded me of the Hand of God hitting the inside of the goalpost in ’86 and Frank Lampard going over the line against Germany in 1990. [in 2010]There was a clear foul in the quarter-final in Qatar. [Bukayo] Saka [France] He scored and he clearly had a penalty that wasn’t given.”
Is this the year of revenge for 1966? The German National Football Museum in Dortmund has that Geoff Hurst moment. The crowd was asked to vote if it was a goal. At last count, 52% thought it was a goal and 48% thought it wasn’t. “Anyway, I’m just happy they got through it,” Lineker said with a laugh. “I was only five so I don’t remember, but sometimes you need that, you need a bit of luck.”
“The penalty shoot-out defeat three years ago was painful but I think the experience will serve them well. This is the first time the England men’s team have played in a major overseas final so there’s a lot of attachment to the team. They’re a really likeable group of talented lads and if they keep knocking on the door I’m sure it will open.”
“I’m really pleased with Gareth’s performance. [Southgate]too. I think this will be his last tournament. I think Qatar took a lot from him mentally, but if that’s the case, what a disappointing way to end it. Whatever happens from now on, he will be greatly respected. He has given his country a lot of joy. The team was in disarray when he took over, and now they’re challenging for four tournaments in a row – semi-final, final, quarter-final and then final again. If he wins, he’ll walk off into the sunset, get his medal, get knighted and everyone will love him forever.”
Lineker watched the semi-final on a different channel. “It was ITV’s turn,” he says. “You often lose on ITV, but we won and there was a blast and actually a few glasses of Rioja. We’re in the final. If we win, we’re ecstatic.”
“The game against Spain will be very tough. Now we just need to win, that’s all that matters. It has been my lifelong dream to win a trophy with England but it didn’t happen. I came very close three years ago and maybe it can happen now. If not, there’s no time left. I’m hopeful. My dream is to hear the words ‘England have won the Euros’.”
