The Journey of England in the World Cup Episode 2
England had given football to the world. Now the world was coming to England. For years, England had lived with the belief that it belonged among football's greatest nations. The modern game had been shaped on English soil. Its rules had travelled around the world. Its clubs had become part of towns, cities and communities across the country. But on the greatest international stage, England had achieved very little. That was about to change. In the summer of 1966, the FIFA World Cup came to England for the first time. Sixteen nations arrived. Matches would be played across the country, from London and Liverpool to Manchester, Sheffield, Birmingham, Sunderland and Middlesbrough. But the heart of the tournament was Wembley Stadium. The old Wembley. Its famous twin towers standing above the entrance. Its terraces filled with expectation. Its pitch waiting for history. England's manager, Alf Ramsey, had already made a prediction that many considered reckless. When he took charge in 1963, he declared that England would win the World Cup. He did not say they might win it. He said they would. Ramsey was not a loud or theatrical man. He was controlled. Serious. Methodical. He believed inte
