Last night we lived Euro ’96 all over again.
The goals. The chants. The slightly naff England away kit (that was grey because someone at the FA reckoned it’d look better with jeans).
The summer of amazing football. ‘Three Lions’. Gazza’s goal and of course, the grim inevitability of penalties.
Last night, the BBC aired a wonderful documentary – Alan Shearer’s Euro 96: When Football Came Home – as the former England striker got key members of the England Euro 96 squad together for a brew and a chat about one of the best football tournaments in recent memory.
(Here’s a weird thing: writing this knowing some of our readers won’t remember Euro 96. Or maybe weren’t even born when it happened.)
The charming documentary can be viewed here on BBC iPlayer until June 30. Here’s what people on social media made of the #euro96rewind.
Really enjoying #euro96rewind
Great times. Great group of lads. Great Staff. Cherised memories.
Thanks for repeating @BBCOne
— Terry Venables (@1TerryVenables) June 1, 2016
https://twitter.com/ConorPacKelly/status/738138432304619520
https://twitter.com/LesRosbifs/status/738297344647696384
What a fab documentary #euro96rewind was last night. So many memories. Who knew Shearer had a personality.
— Ian Ford (@FordsOfWisdom) June 2, 2016
The BBC laid on a buffet of archive footage from the tournament, proving looks of the heady days of Des Lynam and Jimmy Hill punditry.
RT BBCMOTD: What a hat-trick.
Three interviews, three moustaches. It was king in ’96.#euro96rewind
— Cheltenham tips (@Cheltenhamtips1) June 1, 2016
Who remembers the Grandstand music?
Watch England v Scotland in our #euro96rewind now.https://t.co/TvPWbFY32P https://t.co/Ldgzszl7FT
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) June 1, 2016
In among all the nostalgia, Shearer, Venables, Sheringham, Ince and more offer up wonderful insights into English football in 1996. Baddiel & Skinner were on hand to tell us where Shearer was when he was offered a starring role in the ‘Three Lions’ video (he had to sign a few footballs), and Paul Ince gets revealed as the man who was supposed to take the seventh penalty after Southgate.
It was an excellent watch, making us all think, what could have been…
Fancy some more Euro 96 nostalgia? Check our interview with Terry Venables about how he thinks the boys will fare in France.
