MON, JULY 9 2018-theG&BJournal- Every single player is hailed a national hero already. The team coach Gareth Southgate is already a knight in the making-probably Sir Gareth Southgate with a huge statue in central London and in his home town.
Two players currently stand out in the minds of every Briton-Jordan Henderson, who has never lost an international game whenever he played for England and Leicester City’s unknown before the World Cup began, Harry Maguire.
Henderson is seen is seen as a pillar in central midfield, the rock of Gibraltar while Maguire’s winning header against the now much maligned Swedish side they defeated 2-0 in quarter finals is billed almost as the goal of the century. The UK Telegraph wrote that Maguire’s emergence solved the disconnect between England’s fans and players. He is now the most famous ‘’FORE HEAD’’ in the world.
What about their goal keeper-the man with the unusual name in Nigeria’s context-Jordan Pickford (like Pick a Ford). He is now being compared to a god, one who swats off the ball from the his goal post as if the god’s gave him 10 hands before the tournament began.
In all of these, British politics have taken back stage. Even the imminent Conservative party revolt against the British Prime Minister, Theresa May over the Brexit trade plan has taken back stage. The only news out of Britain now struggling for front page attention is the exit of Boris Johnson, the foreign secretary whose departure leaves the Prime Minister vulnerable to party vultures looking to tear what is left of her skin out her bones.
All the pundits are at their best heaping the encomiums. From the feisty Piers Morgan to Rio Ferdinand, David Beckam and Martin Keown all have a special grandeur take on the national heroes now. Not long ago Gareth Southgate was dismissed as a misfit by Morgan. But Morgan sees him differently now and even went as far as apologising for calling him ‘’barely useless’’ after he was appointed England manager. Morgan hails him now as ‘’King Gareth.’’
South Gate is hailed by the Media as the man who brought ‘’sanity and direction’’ to the English team lacking quality through the years and in all of their previous World Cup campaigns and since their last appearance in the semi-finals in Italia 1990 World Cup, 28 odd-years ago.
The team captain Harry Kane, in the running for the golden boot is viewed not only as a god comparable to THOR the hammer wielding god from outer space who came to rescue the world from alien attack-in the movie THOR. He is even compared as a huge lookalike by the ridiculously lavishing English press.
England plays Croatia on Wednesday in one of the Semi-finals. A win will put them in the finals, the first since they won the cup back in 1966. Croatia beat Russia 4-3 on penalties to send the host team away from the tournament after a 2-2 draw at full time.
