Now there’s zero years of hurt, is it time to put the song to bed?
England’s iconic “Three Lions” anthem should be “put to bed” following the Lionesses winning the Euro 2022 Final on Sunday, says David Baddiel.
Baddiel, who released the song alongside comedian Frank Skinner and the Lightning Seeds in 1996 to celebrate the men hosting the European Championships, believes it is time to move on from the anthem.
Ever since that tournament happened, the nation has adopted the track as an unofficial anthem to be sung as false hope looms before the start of every competition before inevitable disappointment arrives – with the famous lyrics “football’s coming home” sung in reference to the fact that England could go all the way.
However all those years of waiting finally ended on Sunday as Sarina Wiegman’s side beat Germany 2-1 in extra-time at Wembley Stadium to write themselves into the history books forever.
‘I’m very happy to think the song would, in a way, be put to bed’
Goals from Ella Toone and Chloe Kelly ensured that 56 years of hurt finally came to an end and in the aftermath of the special day, Baddiel believes that it is the perfect way to draw a close to one of the most recognisable songs in football.
“The women have reset the clock,” Baddiel said during an interview on BBC Radio Four. “I’m very happy to think the song would, in a way, be put to bed.
“It was beautiful to hear it sung out of Wembley yesterday, as we finally clinched a final, I really did think that would never happen.
“It’s so amazing to actually think, ‘Oh, we’ve won, this doesn’t happen, it’s actually happened’.”
"It was so amazing to actually think 'Oh we've won, this doesn't happen. It's actually happened'"@Baddiel tells @bbcnickrobinson it was 'beautiful' to hear Three Lions being sung at the Women's Euros final last night as the Lionesses beat Germany.#R4Today pic.twitter.com/V5VPA4iseX
— BBC Radio 4 Today (@BBCr4today) August 1, 2022
The comedian also feels that the win has united the nation as a whole and is happy that the legacy of his song will be associated with both the men’s and women’s teams.
“We talk about football, we just assume you mean men’s football. Football is not default owned by men – that is something I think is only made clear very recently,” he added.
“It’s the same game, played by women or played by men. What’s totally brilliant in the last few weeks is a sense that the country can get behind it in entirely the same way.
“We’ve won, not the women have won. We’ve won.”
Related links:
- Sarina Wiegman explains why she kissed bracelet during Euro 2022 Final
- England stars gatecrash Sarina Wiegman press conference singing ‘it’s coming home’
- Queen Elizabeth II congratulates England Women on Euro 2022 triumph
