Ahead of Euro 2020 semi final against Denmark, why this England are already winners

This brighter, fresher, less burdened England.

This England play Denmark tonight for the chance to reach a European Championship final. They might win, they might lose.

In many ways, though, this England have already won. They have already left their mark.

This England’s best player at Euro 2020 is Raheem Sterling. You will remember him. The young player smeared as greedy, the gifted kid subjected to sinister headlines. The brilliant black footballer who has looked up to see a supporter shouting racist abuse in his face.

The child of rare talent; the player with courage, the man with strength. The attacker scoring goals and making them for this England. The person squashing hate, prejudice and inbuilt unfairness with the sincerity of his voice and the persistence of his talent.

Raheem Sterling: A major figure on and off the pitch (photo: PA)

That example alone would be reason enough to celebrate this England. There are more.

This England’s substitute striker has spent the past year feeding hungry children. This England’s Marcus Rashford has persuaded this Government to do the decent thing. This Government. The decent thing.

This England’s Marcus Rashford has remembered his upbringing and his hardship, aligned it with his modern status, and said: yes, people need help, not: no, they can’t have it because they’ll only spend it on drugs.

This England’s Marcus Rashford finds the time, during Euro 2020, to send a Playstation 5 to an eight-year-old Barrow supporter as thanks for that kid’s wonderful foodbank initiative in his home town.

This England should be on its knees to Marcus Rashford.

This England’s most recent goalscorer scored a goal whilst wearing rainbow laces. This England’s Jordan Henderson tweets about homeless initiatives. He sends open messages to gay supporters who are “petrified” of attending the Germany game whilst wearing make-up. He says football is for everyone. He uses his standing to spread that vital, moral truth.

Jordan Henderson has reached out to fans (photo: PA)

Sure, this England isn’t perfect from man to man. It has known incidents, transgressions, failings. But it’s still good.

On the pitch, this England has given rise to more emerging heroes. This England’s Kalvin Phillips is a newly-minted international star, despite facing a few loaded headlines of his own in recent weeks. This England has given the midfielder a platform. This England is now strange to imagine without him.

This England is also a tribute to hard, determined, long-term development. This England’s Harry Maguire can be remembered receiving twisted blood from Carlisle’s Francois Zoko early in 2012. A climb up the divisions, a dedicated learning curve in first-team football, forged the centre-half. This England’s goalkeeper – you’ll remember him, if you watched the Blues in 2014 – knew a similar route.

This England, though, is not about individuality. This England does not hitch its fortunes to a lone star, a Gazza, a Wazza. This England comes with method, system, thought. It can leave out a Foden, a Grealish or a Sancho as a matter of calculation. It can bring them back in for the same good reason. It has a future far beyond this tournament.

This England appears freer, friendlier, more fun. This England’s media manager was castigated on a red-top front page for the crime of having a personalised headrest on his flight home from Euro 2016. The same man and his colleagues have done unblinking work to knock down walls of suspicion between team and press, and also build new outlets for a modern audience. This England benefit greatly as a result.

England's media manager, Andy Walker, right, has helped to improve relations between team, press and fans (photo: PA)

This England has a culture, not a crudeness. This England is forward-gazing, even when performance veers from peak to trough. This England, above all, is led by an adult.

Gareth Southgate is a grown-up in charge of a child’s game, a civilising force in a job which consumes good men; an articulate person in an era of dismal rhetoric and disruptive cant.

This England’s head coach trusts his judgement, appreciates his players, approaches good and trip-wire questions with dignity, handles moral and football matters with the same seriousness, sees a bigger picture, respects his office.

Whether this England’s head coach is Merlin in a suit will come down to the tactical minutiae of Wembley, tonight, and hopefully also Sunday. Whether Southgate is right for this job and all else it entails is a question already sailing out of the park.

This England’s leader must have ways of keeping his own ego on the level. Southgate is yet to give ill-judged interviews about the disabled, hold clandestine meetings whilst clutching pints of wine, consort with fake Sheikhs or chase the female secretary around the office.

He ensures this England’s tone is positive, respectable, open-minded and true - at immensely refreshing odds with much else in these divided domestic times. This England has, you have to say, less connection than ever with the grim residue of ‘Ten German Bombers’ and other aspects of its support which needs the comfort blanket of military history and the organ-extension of trashing foreign cities.

This England team have given fans hope - and a reason to escape Covid confinement (photo: PA)

This England, though, still has close connection with the sheer joy of those on its bandwagon. This England’s sensible, bearded commander was happy to know that people back home were launching pints in the air after Saturday’s victory over Ukraine in Rome. This England’s head coach sees you shinning up that lamppost on Botchergate, beered up and with a cross of St George around your shoulders, and says: crack on, lads (but be careful)!

This England is a reason to let loose on the streets. This England is also a reason to sit quietly at home and smile. This England is a reason to uncork many of the pent-up things of enclosed Covid life. This England is a reason to watch tonight and know that, whatever happens, at least there is something both old and new abroad, called hope.

This England.