World Cup 2018 victory would be ‘bigger’ and ‘crazier’ than 1966, says Gareth Southgate

England manager Gareth Southgate believes that winning the 2018 World Cup would make his players even greater heroes than the 1996 classic team.

Southgate’s men who ended a 28-year wait to make their first World Cup semi-final appearance  since 1990 are just one step away from taking a shot at history.

England face Croatia on Wednesday in the semis and a victory will mean that for the first time since 1966, the ‘Three Lions’ will be in the final of a major international tournament.

A performance of any calibre was highly unexpected from a relatively young and inexperienced squad. Of the 32 countries who began the tournament, only Nigeria and France have squads with a younger average age than England.

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Yet, Southgate’s team have surpassed every tinge of expectations and the coach believes that lifting the World Cup might be even bigger in this modern world of social media and instant connectivity.

“We’ve talked, touched briefly, certainly, on the team which won [the World Cup in 1966, how they’re still held and revered,” Southgate told reporters.

“At the beginning we were working together with the lads and trying to sell them the vision of what’s possible, what we’re looking to achieve in the long term.

“We also feel we’ve had events on when we’ve been in camp when some of those guys [from the 1966 squad] have been in, when the road was named at St George’s [Park National Football Centre, England’s training base at home] after Sir Alf [Ramsey, the World Cup-winning coach in 1966].

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“I’ve met quite a few of those players and we know exactly how they’re held and perhaps in the modern era that would be even crazier, [with] social media and everything else, the global thing is so much bigger.”