‘I’m a believer in dreams’: Southgate wants Euro 2024 glory so England gets respect of soccer world

By STEVE DOUGLAS The Associated Press

England's manager Gareth Southgate celebrates after winning a semifinal match between the Netherlands and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Dortmund, Germany, Wednesday, July 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Frank Augstein]

BERLIN (AP) — The English largely say it to be self-deprecating. Most of the rest of the world see it as arrogance and entitlement. “Football’s Coming Home” is the anthem of England’s soccer team and has been sung on the streets of cities throughout Germany over the past month. England is in the European Championship final against Spain on Sunday. It is a chance for the underachieving birthplace of soccer to capture a major men’s title for the first time since the 1966 World Cup on home soil. England coach Gareth Southgate says “I’m not a believer in fairy tales but I’m a believer in dreams.” Southgate says it is a chance to get “the respect of the rest of the football world.”