Stuart Pearce has told England that the whole country is ‘very, very proud’ of them in a final rousing message before the Euro 2024 final.
The Three Lions are just one win against Spain away from lifting the European Championship trophy for the first time.
It’s the second Euros in a row that England have reached the final, and Gareth Southgate and co will be looking to shake off Euro 2020’s heartbreaking penalty shootout loss to Italy and bring football home, live on talkSPORT.
Should England be crowned European champions, it will be their first major tournament win since the 1966 World Cup.
So with the nation praying Southgate and co will be the ones to pull off an achievement for the ages, who better to give them a final message of advice than England legend and talkSPORT pundit Stuart Pearce?
Speaking on talkSPORT the day before England bid for European glory, the former Three Lions defender said: “My message to the England players is this for Sunday.
“You’ve got 60 million people hoping that you can deliver. You’re the fortunate ones. You’ve got the ability to influence the result.
“60 million people would love to be in your position. Just spare a thought before you take the pitch of all the people that have played a part in your evolution as a footballer.
“Whether it be your family, whether it be your coaches, whether it be your friends, whoever it may be that’s influenced you and made you the player and the person you are. When you take that pitch on Sunday, win for your country.
“We’re all very, very proud of you.”
Spain pose a strong threat to England’s hopes of winning the tournament, with talents Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, Dani Olmo and Fabian Ruiz lighting up Germany throughout the summer.
And Pearce, who represented England from 1987 to 1999, knows the feeling of tournament heartache well.
At the 1990 World Cup, he and Chris Waddle missed in the semi-final penalty shootout against West Germany, with the score at 1-1 after extra time.
Pearce was inconsolable as he left the field.
But there’s a good reason why he was nicknamed ‘Psycho’ – he never gave up, even in moments of adversity.
Six years later, he scored a penalty in England’s shootout with this weekend’s opponents, Spain, at Euro 1996, passionately celebrating with the Wembley crowd afterwards.
England went on to be knocked out by Germany in the semi-final that year.
But it’s still clear Pearce believes England can go out and make their country proud after all the hurt of 2021.
After all, Jude Bellingham and Ollie Watkins in particular have both already pulled off last-ditch goals in the knockout stages to keep England’s dreams alive.
Now, they’re just one more win away from glory.
talkSPORT will bring you live commentary of the Euro 2024 final on Sunday as England bid to make history against Spain. Tune in via the website or the app, and follow our live Euro 2024 blog for all the build-up.