Major footballing tournaments really galvanise English people as the nation bands together as one. This doesn’t just apply to the World Cup, but also the European Championship.
The Euros are edging ever closer, with Germany the host nation for 2024 as 24 teams descend on cities such as Munich, Berlin, Hamburg and Frankfurt.
England’s fiercest rivalry may return on German soil as Gareth Southgate looks to prove the doubters wrong and get hands on the silverware that he and his players deserve.
Some amazing England goals of the past see the likes of David Beckham and Joe Cole come to the fore. The former curled home THAT free-kick against Greece to send England to Japan, whilst the latter left off a vicious strike against Sweden at the 2006 World Cup. And how can anyone forget Geoff Hurst’s World Cup clincher in 1966?
The Three Lions have conceded some spectacular goals as well. Zinedine Zidane and Mikkel Damsgaard have both fired thunderous free-kicks beyond the reaches of English goalkeepers at the European Championship, not to mention the magic conjured up by Rui Costa in 2004.
Our Lionesses got the job done against Germany at Wembley last summer and thus have gone one step further than the men ever have. The glorious chance for the Three Lions still awaits them, but for now, Football FanCast has taken a look back at some of the greatest goals scored by Englishmen at the Euros.
10 Daniel Sturridge v Wales, Euro 2016
Kicking things off with an instalment of the fierce sporting rivalry between the Welsh and the English.
A thunderous free-kick from Gareth Bale made Joe Hart look foolish, but the Three Lions were able to snatch a late win out of the jaws of defeat.
After Jamie Vardy's equaliser, Daniel Sturridge got the final touch in what was a very scrappy move. It was by no means a great goal, but the drama and importance of it can't be understated for the fans and for that tournament itself.
Any chance to see Sturridge pull out his infamous celebration in a white England shirt is a blessing.
9 Andy Carroll v Sweden, Euro 2012
Going back to the prior European Championship where England underperformed in classic English style.
That being said, all three of their goals against Sweden are worth reliving, with Andy Carroll, Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck finding the back of the net for the Three Lions on a topsy-turvy night.
Andy Carroll's dominant header kicked off proceedings as England aimed to kickstart their campaign after a battling draw with France.
Carroll is a player who may never get the respect that he deserves, but in this moment, he may have hit his peak in an England shirt, expertly nodding home Steven Gerrard's superb cross-field pass.
8 Ray Wilkins v Belgium, Euro 1980
Cast your minds back to the earlier days of the Euros and to a man who is sadly no longer with us, Ray Wilkins.
He picked up the ball, took on the entire Belgium backline with a single touch and then rounded off this move with a perfectly chipped finish back in 1980.
Due to the fact that this game ended in a draw and that they were defeated by Italy thanks to a goal from the iconic Marco Tardelli, Wilkins' magic was all in vain, with his nation not making it out of their group – though it was still a strike fondly remembered all these years on.
7 Eric Dier v Russia, Euro 2016
Kieran Trippier's free-kick at the World Cup is a major highlight for the modern England fan, but he isn't the only Tottenham Hotspur man to score a cracker of a set-piece.
This is another game which is maybe overshadowed by the outcome, with a Vasili Berezutski header earning Russia a point at the death, but Eric Dier's goal was quite something.
Dier has never been known as a goalscorer for club nor country, so to see him dispatch this free-kick with the perfect accuracy made the moment all the more sweet for England fans everywhere.
6 Raheem Sterling v Germany, Euro 2020
Even closer to the present with the most recent competition, and one England fans may not be too keen to relive.
Getting to a final is no mean feat, but to lose in the manner the Three Lions did and for the years of hurt to go on was quite the kick in the teeth.
Beating Germany in the round of 16 was a definite highlight given the struggles endured against them in the past, and it was the two star forwards, Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane, who scored the goals.
For the opener, Sterling started the move, with quick and concise passing seeing the ball end up at the feet of Luke Shaw. The full-back then fired the ball across the box, where Sterling found space and coolly passed it in beyond the reaches of Manuel Neuer.
5 Wayne Rooney v Croatia, Euro 2004
Rewinding to a less successful tournament for England in the form of Euro 2004.
The tournament was held in Portugal and saw the hosts get to the final, only to lose to Greece, who are now written into history as one of the most unlikely winners of all time.
England’s tournament ended in the quarter-finals at the hands of Portugal, though they more than had their moments in the group stages.
Sven-Goran Eriksson’s side won twice in Group B, so it wasn’t all doom and gloom. And during their 4-2 victory over Croatia, the first of the four England goals that day was scored by a certain Wayne Rooney.
His thunderous effort from outside of the box was a trademark Rooney finish and made it 1-1 after Niko Kovac struck early on. Rooney's equaliser would probably be more appreciated if goalkeeper Tomislav Butina hadn’t got a fingertip to it – but there was no stopping it whatsoever.
4 Luke Shaw v Italy, Euro 2020
Kieran Trippier’s free-kick in the World Cup semi-final against Croatia two years prior to Shaw's finale strike came too early in the minds of many people, and the same could be said for a goal from another defender in a huge England game.
Manchester United’s Luke Shaw, who assisted Sterling’s opener against Germany, isn’t known for his goalscoring prowess.
But you wouldn’t have known it when watching the game under the infamous Wembley arch against Italy. Southgate’s men came flying out of the blocks and played with such bravado that it seemed as if no one could stop them.
A perfect, flowing team move started by Shaw and Mason Mount in the second minute came to a conclusion after a beautiful Trippier cross was met by the flying full-back. He timed the effort perfectly and left Gianluigi Donnarumma stranded in the goal with no idea what had just occurred.
The rest of the game doesn’t need to be talked about, but that moment alone is something that Shaw deserves to be remembered for.
3 Alan Shearer v Netherlands, Euro 1996
The podium spots are upon us, and for the bronze medal goal, we have to go back to 1996 – another hugely positive and joyous tournament for the Three Lions.
Terry Venables’ men were being hounded by the media for off-the-pitch incidents, and it seemed that they were baying for blood and looking forward to reporting on even more failures.
Whilst he didn’t reach the final, Alan Shearer won the Golden Boot for the tournament with five goals, ahead of the likes of Hristo Stoichkov, Davor Šuker, Brian Laudrup and Jürgen Klinsmann.
One of those five goals was the end product of another memorable team move scored against the Dutch in the group stages.
The Netherlands had names such as Seedorf, De Boer, Koeman, Bergkamp, Kluivert and (Jordi) Cruyff, but they were no match for the English. Braces from Shearer and Teddy Sheringham earned England a big three points in the group and Shearer’s second was the pick of the bunch.
He first scored from the penalty spot, while his second was a thing of beauty. Paul Gascoigne did all the work out wide and found Sheringham, who played a clever pass to Newcastle hero Shearer, who fired the ball into the roof of the net with great aplomb.
2 Danny Welbeck v Sweden, Euro 2012
Euro 2012 is easily forgotten from an English point of view. Spain may have won their third of three consecutive major titles and Fernando Torres was on fire, but that will have done little to help get over another disappointing quarter-final exit.
The tournament ended at the first knockout stage after losing to Italy on penalties after a decent showing in the group.
Former Manchester City and Aston Villa defender Joleon Lescott scored in a 1-1 draw with France, before Roy Hodgson’s side edged out Sweden in a five-goal thriller. Wayne Rooney then scored the only goal of the game against Ukraine.
It is that 3-2 win over Sweden that we are focusing on, here. Andy Carroll opened the scoring before Theo Walcott made it 2-2 later in the game. The all-important winner, however, came courtesy of Brighton and Hove Albion’s Danny Welbeck.
Carroll’s header was mighty, whilst Walcott’s effort from range was bamboozling, though neither lives up to Danny Welbeck’s flick. Substitute Walcott sent the ball into the box and his former club teammate had the awareness to deftly flick the ball beyond the reaches of Andreas Isaksson to secure a superb comeback victory.
1 Paul Gascoigne v Scotland, Euro 1996
From a goal that perhaps doesn’t get talked about enough, to one that many non-English football fans will be sick and tired of hearing about – particularly the Scots.
There aren’t many figures more beloved by the Three Lions faithful than Paul Gascoigne for everything he did on the field, and his strike in front of a home crowd against the Auld Enemy was almost undoubtedly his finest moment in England colours.
It all began with Tony Adams sliding in on Scotland’s Gordon Durie and giving away a penalty. Gary McAllister stepped up to take the spot-kick, though he was denied by David Seaman, much to the delight of the majority of the fans packed inside of the old Wembley Stadium.
Shortly after, the ball went long, there were a couple of flick-ons and then Gascoigne had the ball. He calmly chipped it over the head of the oncoming Colin Hendry, and as the ball came back down, he smashed it low and hard beyond Scotland goalkeeper Andy Goram to make it 2-0.
Everything up to this point was iconic and memorable enough, only for the 'dentist’s chair' celebration to be brought out, mimicking the epic booze-filled action they had undergone on their tour of Asia prior to the Euros.
There really isn't a goal that comes anywhere close to this one. Here's to making more memories in 2024…
