0:00:03 > 0:00:05'My name is Thierry Henry.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08'I live in London, where I played
0:00:08 > 0:00:10'for Arsenal for so many years.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13'I also played in Barcelona and New York,
0:00:13 > 0:00:16'but make no mistake - I'm a Frenchman.'
0:00:16 > 0:00:18A very proud Frenchman.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21I'm travelling back home as my
0:00:21 > 0:00:24country prepares to host Euro 2016.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27It's the first time we have hosted a tournament
0:00:27 > 0:00:29since the World Cup in '98.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31Making this journey reminds me
0:00:31 > 0:00:34of the great success we achieved as a team,
0:00:34 > 0:00:37and I'm really hoping there are more
0:00:37 > 0:00:40good times coming for Les Bleus.
0:00:40 > 0:00:41In fact, you know what?
0:00:41 > 0:00:44I'm hoping for more than that.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47I'm hoping for the Euros to bring happiness in France.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53France needs Euro 2016 to be a success.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56The memories of the terrorist attacks here last year
0:00:56 > 0:00:59are still fresh in everyone's minds.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03Recovery from those atrocities will take time,
0:01:03 > 0:01:06but in the aftermath we saw the role football can play
0:01:06 > 0:01:08in bringing people together.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15As fans come to France from all around Europe,
0:01:15 > 0:01:19this tournament is an opportunity to remind everyone
0:01:19 > 0:01:23how our simple game can have a huge impact
0:01:23 > 0:01:25way beyond the sport.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28We have seen it in the Euros time and again.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32Moments to take your breath away...
0:01:32 > 0:01:34- COMMENTATOR:- 'Oh, I say, what a goal!'
0:01:34 > 0:01:36Everybody's like, "What the hell is this?"
0:01:36 > 0:01:38He was also like, "Ha! Yeah."
0:01:39 > 0:01:42..moments no-one saw coming...
0:01:42 > 0:01:44We played the pretournament favourite,
0:01:44 > 0:01:45we played the defending champions,
0:01:45 > 0:01:47and we played the world champions.
0:01:47 > 0:01:48Now, I think we've done well.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51..moments of heartache...
0:01:51 > 0:01:52'Gascoigne!'
0:01:52 > 0:01:55Do you replay that tournament in your head?
0:01:55 > 0:01:57Well, I only ever think about it
0:01:57 > 0:02:00probably about once a day now, instead of five or ten times a day.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04'Oh, no!'
0:02:04 > 0:02:07It means a lot to us Germans to win a game at Wembley.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11..and moments of pure joy...
0:02:11 > 0:02:13After that moment, it was like
0:02:13 > 0:02:16this mental thing that it clicked,
0:02:16 > 0:02:18and we just played with no fear any more.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22..moments that all have one thing in common...
0:02:23 > 0:02:26..they have brought people of all ages, creeds
0:02:26 > 0:02:28and colours together in celebration.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31We had this unbelievably kind of
0:02:31 > 0:02:33party, family-friendly atmosphere,
0:02:33 > 0:02:35which Three Lions was the soundtrack to.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39# Three lions on a shirt... #
0:02:39 > 0:02:42Euro 2016 is bigger than ever -
0:02:42 > 0:02:4624 nations all hoping to make a little history of their own.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51But before it all starts, I'm
0:02:51 > 0:02:53taking my own trip down memory lane.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09I'm not from Paris, actually, I'm from the suburbs of Paris,
0:03:09 > 0:03:10so it's very different.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13We say in France "banlieusard",
0:03:13 > 0:03:14so it's outside of Paris,
0:03:14 > 0:03:16and I'm proud of it, by the way.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19I grew up in Les Ulis.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21It's 25km outside Paris,
0:03:21 > 0:03:26and it's pretty typical of the suburbs surrounding the capital.
0:03:26 > 0:03:27Life was simple on my estate -
0:03:27 > 0:03:29school and football.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33We hardly ever went into the city.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35When we did, it was for shopping trips
0:03:35 > 0:03:38and seeing how far our francs could stretch.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41We're going to pass Les Puces,
0:03:41 > 0:03:45which is a market where you can find stuff
0:03:45 > 0:03:48that are all kind of fake, or...
0:03:48 > 0:03:49second-hand,
0:03:49 > 0:03:51third-hand, fourth-hand.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53So as you can imagine,
0:03:53 > 0:03:57that's the type of thing that at the time my mum could afford.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59Then you have to carry the bags back home.
0:04:00 > 0:04:01It's a long one.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04Trust me, I remember.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07And you couldn't say at any point,
0:04:07 > 0:04:09"Mum, my hand is hurting."
0:04:09 > 0:04:10Trouble.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15But being in Paris reminds me of always football,
0:04:15 > 0:04:19because that's most of the time why I was in Paris.
0:04:23 > 0:04:28France's history with the Euros goes way back to the start.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30The administrator, Henri Delaunay,
0:04:30 > 0:04:32came up with the idea in the first place,
0:04:32 > 0:04:34and the trophy is named after him.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39We also hosted the first tournament, in 1960,
0:04:39 > 0:04:41won by Lev Yashin's Soviet Union.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46Wow.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50In 1984, a few weeks before my seventh birthday,
0:04:50 > 0:04:53France hosted the Euros again.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56Euro '84 is everything for me,
0:04:56 > 0:04:58because it's actually the first tournament
0:04:58 > 0:05:00that I remember.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04- COMMENTATOR:- 'Tigana,
0:05:04 > 0:05:06'two to his right and Platini through the middle.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08'Tigana again.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10'Tigana.
0:05:10 > 0:05:11'Tigana...
0:05:11 > 0:05:13'Platini...
0:05:13 > 0:05:14'goal!
0:05:14 > 0:05:16'Platini for France.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21'I've not seen a match like this in years.'
0:05:22 > 0:05:25And obviously, it was in France and we won it,
0:05:25 > 0:05:27so it was great.
0:05:27 > 0:05:28We had a great team.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31You know - Platini, Giresse,
0:05:31 > 0:05:32Tigana, Fernandez.
0:05:34 > 0:05:35'Bellone through the middle.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37'It's Bellone for France.
0:05:37 > 0:05:38'Can he finish it here?
0:05:38 > 0:05:40'Goal!
0:05:40 > 0:05:41'They've done it.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44'France are the European champions.'
0:05:44 > 0:05:46That feeling of, "You can win."
0:05:47 > 0:05:48You know, "It's possible."
0:05:48 > 0:05:53You know, growing up, people were always talking about failure before.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57And for one little moment, we won.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00We won the Euros.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02That was just amazing.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05'They are champions at last, and who would deny them that?'
0:06:08 > 0:06:12Six years later, I was selected to go to Clairefontaine,
0:06:12 > 0:06:14the national football institute.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18I was only 13, and I pretty much left home,
0:06:18 > 0:06:21only returning on the weekends.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23I didn't look back. The academy gave us
0:06:23 > 0:06:27the grounding we needed to become professional footballers.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30It was a massive bounce in my development,
0:06:30 > 0:06:32since you had to be good at school to enter Clairefontaine,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35and you had to maintain a certain level.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37If not, they were going to kick you out.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39That shaped me for life.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41HE LAUGHS
0:06:45 > 0:06:47Wowee.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52This is the building of the kids at Clairefontaine.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55As you can see, you have Diaby,
0:06:55 > 0:06:57Nicolas, Jimmy Briand, Roussillon,
0:06:57 > 0:06:59Rothen, Gallas, Ben Arfa,
0:06:59 > 0:07:01Blaise Matuidi...
0:07:01 > 0:07:03me.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06If you see a player on the field
0:07:06 > 0:07:08coming out of Clairefontaine,
0:07:08 > 0:07:10you already can see straightaway
0:07:10 > 0:07:12because that player will play with his head up,
0:07:12 > 0:07:14know what to do with the ball.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17It's almost like a Clairefontaine way, if I can say,
0:07:17 > 0:07:20and I never underestimate, you know,
0:07:20 > 0:07:22what I've learned here.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25I played in Spain, I played in Italy, and in England -
0:07:25 > 0:07:27everyone always asks me
0:07:27 > 0:07:29about...about Clairefontaine.
0:07:29 > 0:07:30It is the reference.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34The names of the guys you can see on the walls, you know, prove that.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37I used to come back all the time, being in the national team,
0:07:37 > 0:07:41and come in and say "hi" to the guys obviously,
0:07:41 > 0:07:44and talking to them about reality and what's at stake.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48What they need to do in order to be great in the future.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02There was no star on the top when I first trained there,
0:08:02 > 0:08:06but respect for the shirt was everything at Clairefontaine.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09It's the base for all the national team's age groups,
0:08:09 > 0:08:11including the senior team.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15Just seeing them gave us something to aspire to,
0:08:15 > 0:08:18but always from a distance.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21This is the field of the national team.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24The first time I came across that field,
0:08:24 > 0:08:27or any memories of that field, is...
0:08:27 > 0:08:31is me being at Clairefontaine, 13 years old,
0:08:31 > 0:08:33and we were allowed
0:08:33 > 0:08:35to go and watch a training session.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38You know, the likes of Laurent Blanc, Cantona.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41We were not allowed to make any noise.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44If I wanted to stay and watch a training session,
0:08:44 > 0:08:47then as you can imagine that's all you want to do as a kid.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49You know, you see the national team.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53In 1998, France was hosting the World Cup.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56I was expecting to watch my heroes as a fan,
0:08:56 > 0:08:59just like I did at training back in Clairefontaine.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01But as the tournament got closer,
0:09:01 > 0:09:03I broke through into the squad.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05I was living out my dream.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08Young, raw and eager to make
0:09:08 > 0:09:10an impact on the biggest stage.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28You know, you're here to perform and try to do your best, you know,
0:09:28 > 0:09:30and what a place, by the way, to do it.
0:09:38 > 0:09:39Mon chambre.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41HE LAUGHS
0:09:41 > 0:09:42Memories.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47You only see one bed here,
0:09:47 > 0:09:49but it wasn't like that at the time.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51We were sharing rooms, and rightly so.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54In all fairness, it was way better because, you know,
0:09:54 > 0:09:57you're going to stay in the camp for a long time, and it's always good if
0:09:57 > 0:10:00you can share with someone that you can kind of have
0:10:00 > 0:10:02an affinity with.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05The...the two beds were actually like this.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07The whole thing changed, as you can see.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10I mean, you can't compare it to what it was before, but, yeah,
0:10:10 > 0:10:13I was sharing a room with David Trezeguet.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15You know, I was playing in Monaco with him,
0:10:15 > 0:10:18and obviously we went on after that to make history.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30For me, being from the suburbs of Paris, I saw that
0:10:30 > 0:10:32stadium at the beginning,
0:10:32 > 0:10:35when it was kind of getting built.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38You could see how the stadium was going and you knew, obviously,
0:10:38 > 0:10:41at the end of it that the World Cup was going to be around.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44Long time.
0:10:44 > 0:10:45Heh-heh.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50Going to play...
0:10:51 > 0:10:55..25km away from my house, that was just amazing.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01As a team, we were focused on winning the World Cup.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03But for many people in our country,
0:11:03 > 0:11:07there were bigger issues which were hard to overlook.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09The end of the '90s in France, they were tough years.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11There was riots, there were fights,
0:11:11 > 0:11:15and I think there was a sense of lack of patriotism.
0:11:15 > 0:11:16You know, what is it to be French
0:11:16 > 0:11:18when your parents are from Spain
0:11:18 > 0:11:20or Algeria, Senegal or Mali?
0:11:20 > 0:11:22It was a problem with integration.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25I felt at the time a lot of people were hoping that the World Cup
0:11:25 > 0:11:26would give a lot of hope to a lot of people
0:11:26 > 0:11:28who didn't have any hope.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31# Allons enfants de la Patrie
0:11:31 > 0:11:33# Le jour de gloire est... #
0:11:33 > 0:11:36I think we grew together as a team.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38With the country, too.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42So at the very beginning it was a bit hard, but slowly but surely
0:11:42 > 0:11:45we grew in confidence, and we brought along the way
0:11:45 > 0:11:46people on our side.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51This team in '98, with all those different cultures,
0:11:51 > 0:11:53profiles, backgrounds.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56You know, Laurent Blanc, Marcel Desailly
0:11:56 > 0:11:58playing next to each other in the back four...
0:11:59 > 0:12:01..you couldn't make it more different.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03Didier Deschamps and Zinedine Zidane -
0:12:03 > 0:12:04couldn't make it more different.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06And then suddenly, "OK.
0:12:06 > 0:12:07"Well, they're all together,
0:12:07 > 0:12:09"they're building something great together,
0:12:09 > 0:12:11"why can't we, as well?"
0:12:11 > 0:12:14I think the squad was actually the reflection of the country,
0:12:14 > 0:12:16how the country was, you know.
0:12:16 > 0:12:17We were trying to find a team,
0:12:17 > 0:12:21and France also, as a country, was trying to find a way.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25And then when we were showing to everybody that no matter where
0:12:25 > 0:12:27you're from or what you believe in, that you can actually
0:12:27 > 0:12:29be together and succeed together,
0:12:29 > 0:12:32so the fans could relate to what
0:12:32 > 0:12:34the team was trying to do and trying to achieve.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36We all became one.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42- COMMENTATOR:- 'The host nation has won the World Cup.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47'France 3-0 Brazil.'
0:12:49 > 0:12:52This team actually defines our country.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54"This is us, this is all of us. Look, this is us."
0:12:54 > 0:12:56And suddenly people are starting believing,
0:12:56 > 0:12:58not just the fact that they could do it,
0:12:58 > 0:13:02but believing in their own country, in themselves, as well.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05When the referee blew that final whistle against
0:13:05 > 0:13:09Brazil, that's exactly that moment that everyone,
0:13:09 > 0:13:12every single person in the country, was French.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17That's where you realise that, OK,
0:13:17 > 0:13:19this is something we've never seen before.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23Or probably the last time was when the Second World War finished.
0:13:23 > 0:13:24But I think, really,
0:13:24 > 0:13:27that just lifted the country like nothing else would have done.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30It was our first World Cup, so it's always
0:13:30 > 0:13:32going to go down in history, no matter what.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34People came together.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36I would say that, you know,
0:13:36 > 0:13:39fans were kind of referring to
0:13:39 > 0:13:41the Liberation of Paris.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43That's how far they took it.
0:13:43 > 0:13:44CAR HORNS HONK
0:13:44 > 0:13:47We all know it's only a game, but sometimes it is more than a game.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59Two years later, at Euro 2000, things were different.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03We were two years older, wiser and more experienced.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05We were the favourites...
0:14:06 > 0:14:08..and the pressure was on.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10'Henry has gone all the way.
0:14:20 > 0:14:21'Zidane.
0:14:21 > 0:14:22'Oh, it's a goal for France!'
0:14:24 > 0:14:28In '98, we were known as a team that were not conceding -
0:14:28 > 0:14:29very hard to beat.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31And then I think in 2000, it was like the right mix.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33If you wanted to fight with us, we could fight.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36If you wanted to play, we were also ready to play.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39And we had guys that could make a difference at any time.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42I think personally that 2000 was our best performance
0:14:42 > 0:14:45in terms of how WE performed there.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48But you can never expect to have everything
0:14:48 > 0:14:50your own way in a tournament.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52If there was one match that shows
0:14:52 > 0:14:54how fine the margins between
0:14:54 > 0:14:56success and failure can be,
0:14:56 > 0:14:57it's the final against Italy.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01How we won it, I mean, that's still
0:15:01 > 0:15:05I think what the Italians must be asking themselves.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07- COMMENTATOR:- 'Totti.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09'Little back-heel, Pessotto's in here.
0:15:09 > 0:15:10'Delvecchio...
0:15:10 > 0:15:12'goal!
0:15:12 > 0:15:14'Italy have scored,
0:15:14 > 0:15:15'and it's Marco Delvecchio.'
0:15:17 > 0:15:19We had the right guys at the right time.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22So Sylvain Wiltord coming on and bringing the game back to 1-1...
0:15:22 > 0:15:23CROWD WHISTLES
0:15:23 > 0:15:25'Just look at them on the bench there.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30'Oh, I tell you what, Wiltord's got a chance for France.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32'It's a goal.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34'They've equalised.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36'In the third minute of stoppage time,
0:15:36 > 0:15:38'Roger Lemerre's world champions are still alive.'
0:15:40 > 0:15:43And then you have, I think, the best player that I've played with
0:15:43 > 0:15:46in the box, David Trezeguet, to finish the job.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49'Trezeguet!
0:15:49 > 0:15:51'France have won
0:15:51 > 0:15:54'the European Championship.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56'It's the golden goal.'
0:15:56 > 0:15:58You know sometimes when you celebrate a goal
0:15:58 > 0:16:01and you're like, "Hey, guys, guys, let's not celebrate too much,"
0:16:01 > 0:16:04because if they score after,
0:16:04 > 0:16:06then you look stupid.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09But for that one, you could just run.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12It was over, and it was the best feeling ever.
0:16:12 > 0:16:16You could run for ever and do whatever you want,
0:16:16 > 0:16:17because you won it,
0:16:17 > 0:16:20it's over. "See you, bye-bye."
0:16:21 > 0:16:23'Allez Les Bleus!'
0:16:24 > 0:16:272000 is beauty by definition.
0:16:27 > 0:16:28Everything is beautiful.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31The way you win it - against the Italians, as well,
0:16:31 > 0:16:32you know, the proper rivals.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34They hate us, we hate them.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36It's fine, that's the way it is.
0:16:36 > 0:16:37To do that to them, you know,
0:16:37 > 0:16:39when they think they've won it,
0:16:39 > 0:16:42everything in that tournament was beautiful.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47The power of football is to unite people,
0:16:47 > 0:16:51to bring people together from different backgrounds,
0:16:51 > 0:16:53different origins.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56There's a reason why it's the biggest sport in the world.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01For such a simple game, football has immense power.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04I've seen first-hand how it can unite the nation
0:17:04 > 0:17:08and bring people together in celebration.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11- # Ey-oh - Ey-oh... #
0:17:11 > 0:17:15It can also represent a country's identity.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19I'm thinking of Holland, I'm thinking of Cruyff.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21Total football.
0:17:21 > 0:17:25You know, there was probably no team in history who have left such
0:17:25 > 0:17:28a mark on world football without winning a trophy
0:17:28 > 0:17:32as the Dutch team of 1974.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35Although it was a disappointment to lose in the final, it was
0:17:35 > 0:17:38an enormous achievement because of the football that we played.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41Everybody recognised the orange,
0:17:41 > 0:17:42you know, the orange colours.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44It was also the way
0:17:44 > 0:17:47the interpretation of the game was different.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49I think that '74 generation
0:17:49 > 0:17:53paved the way for my generation
0:17:53 > 0:17:55to show themselves to the world.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02'88 was the second coming of the Dutch.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05They were the best players in the world, basically.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08Gullit had won the Ballon d'Or in '87.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12Gullit was the most glamorous, most recognised figure
0:18:12 > 0:18:14in world football at the time.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17And he was also sort of part of a new kind of footballer
0:18:17 > 0:18:19who was much bigger, tougher,
0:18:19 > 0:18:21stronger, faster.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24That year, PSV Eindhoven won the Champions League.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27The year before, Ajax won the UEFA Cup.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29So we had a group of a lot of players with
0:18:29 > 0:18:33a lot of experience on an international level.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36Holland had experience and quality.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39They were among the favourites to win the tournament.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43But that means nothing once the game starts.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45The Dutch lost their opening match against Russia,
0:18:45 > 0:18:48with Marco van Basten left out.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50He returned in the second game,
0:18:50 > 0:18:53against England, to immense effect.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55- COMMENTATOR:- 'Van Basten!
0:18:55 > 0:18:57'Well, it's a hat-trick.'
0:18:57 > 0:18:59Holland finished their group as runners-up.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03They now faced a huge semifinal against their oldest,
0:19:03 > 0:19:05fiercest rivals - West Germany.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10The '88 semifinal is one
0:19:10 > 0:19:12of the defining moments of modern Holland
0:19:12 > 0:19:16because it's a replay,
0:19:16 > 0:19:18in effect, of the '74 final.
0:19:18 > 0:19:23Dutch people will tell you that, for them, losing the '74 final
0:19:23 > 0:19:26was equivalent to President Kennedy getting shot in America.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28I mean, this was a disaster.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31I didn't have that sentiment of all these people.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34"OK, we lost against Germany and it was not right.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37"We played the best football." But I wanted to beat them anyway
0:19:37 > 0:19:40because, you know, Germany is
0:19:40 > 0:19:42a strong side, our neighbours.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45We always have this rivalry with them.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48It's about the war, about the fact
0:19:48 > 0:19:51that, you know, the superior country.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53The younger players there,
0:19:53 > 0:19:56we couldn't really figure out what that meant,
0:19:56 > 0:19:58this whole rivalry, Holland against Germany,
0:19:58 > 0:20:01it had a lot to do, obviously, with what happened
0:20:01 > 0:20:03in World War II, unfortunately.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06And then the '74 World Cup final, I think,
0:20:06 > 0:20:10created, really, that special type of rivalry.
0:20:12 > 0:20:13'West Germany take the lead.
0:20:18 > 0:20:19'And it's 1-1.'
0:20:23 > 0:20:25- GULLIT:- We had to be on our best on that day.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31I think that it was an unbelievable feeling,
0:20:31 > 0:20:34the goal that Van Basten scored in the last minute.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39'Van Basten...
0:20:39 > 0:20:40'it's a goal for Holland...
0:20:42 > 0:20:43'..with barely 90 seconds to go.'
0:20:47 > 0:20:49To beat Germany in Germany in such a tournament
0:20:49 > 0:20:51was never heard of.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54'And Holland are through to the final
0:20:54 > 0:20:57'of the 1988 European Championship.'
0:20:57 > 0:20:59We didn't even realise what was happening in Holland,
0:20:59 > 0:21:02because you had no internet, you had no mobile phones,
0:21:02 > 0:21:04but apparently
0:21:04 > 0:21:06Holland was getting crazy.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08It was like one big party.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11The whole nation went entirely nuts.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13Practically everybody in the country
0:21:13 > 0:21:16flowed out into the streets, screaming with delight.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18It was the biggest celebration
0:21:18 > 0:21:20since liberation in '45.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24- KLINSMANN:- I think '88 was, for me, just kind of overwhelming.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28You know, it was in your own country and, yeah, it gave you a sense of
0:21:28 > 0:21:30very special occasions
0:21:30 > 0:21:32of extreme emotions,
0:21:32 > 0:21:34extreme kind of sentiments from both sides.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39Well, after the game, Ronald Koeman
0:21:39 > 0:21:42swapped shirts with Olaf Thon, I think,
0:21:42 > 0:21:45and then symbolically used the shirt
0:21:45 > 0:21:46to wipe his backside.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51And I think a lot of people in Germany were shocked about that
0:21:51 > 0:21:54because I think they felt that it's just a football game.
0:21:54 > 0:21:59But I think, at that very moment, it became painfully obvious that,
0:21:59 > 0:22:02at least for the Dutch, this was much more than a game.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05There's an unpleasant aspect to the way the Dutch celebrated
0:22:05 > 0:22:09because they were projecting their feelings about the Nazis
0:22:09 > 0:22:12on to modern Germans who had nothing
0:22:12 > 0:22:14whatever to do with the Nazis.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16It was a little bit too much.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18I don't think it was a nice thing to do,
0:22:18 > 0:22:20because you need to
0:22:20 > 0:22:23always have respect for the opposition.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30The USSR had already earned Holland's respect.
0:22:30 > 0:22:31Remember, they had beaten them
0:22:31 > 0:22:33at the start of the tournament.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36But this was a different Dutch team,
0:22:36 > 0:22:39a team now full of confidence.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43The feeling was almost, like, we couldn't do wrong.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46There was no way they were going to beat us, for some reason.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48And if you see, also, the goals that we scored,
0:22:48 > 0:22:50it was unheard of.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52- COMMENTATOR:- 'Gullit's there...
0:22:52 > 0:22:54'yes! Holland 1-0.
0:22:54 > 0:22:55'Ruud Gullit.'
0:22:59 > 0:23:03It was fantastic for me that I could be important for Holland
0:23:03 > 0:23:05in that game, but the icing on the cake
0:23:05 > 0:23:08was, of course, the goal of Van Basten.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11He can hit it another million times
0:23:11 > 0:23:13and it'll never get in there like that!
0:23:14 > 0:23:17'Van Basten's on the far side of the penalty area now
0:23:17 > 0:23:18'to volley it...
0:23:18 > 0:23:21'Oh, I say, what a goal!
0:23:21 > 0:23:23'That's a beauty.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26'Absolutely spectacular.'
0:23:26 > 0:23:28Everybody is like, "What the hell is this?"
0:23:28 > 0:23:30And he was also like, "Ha! Yeah."
0:23:31 > 0:23:33Whatever we do, it will be ours.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37'Holland are the champions of Europe -
0:23:37 > 0:23:39'their first major trophy.'
0:23:39 > 0:23:42It was our moment. It was our time.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49The semifinal victory was celebrated in a huge street party.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53With the trophy now in their hands, the party resumed.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58In just two weeks, the Dutch had overcome their great rivals
0:23:58 > 0:24:01and erased their tag as the nearly men
0:24:01 > 0:24:03of international football.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06And the team returned to Amsterdam to scenes of pure joy.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10- GULLIT:- Of course, arriving in Amsterdam in the canals
0:24:10 > 0:24:13and the boats, people jumping into the water,
0:24:13 > 0:24:15it was an unbelievable thing.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17We couldn't, you know... and then you realise,
0:24:17 > 0:24:21like, "Oh, something really, really happened," yeah.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28Holland's long wait for a trophy was finally over.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31For most teams, winning silverware is ultimately
0:24:31 > 0:24:33what you're judged on.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36Talented generations come and go,
0:24:36 > 0:24:39but not many get those precious winners' medals.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42It seems strange to think of it now,
0:24:42 > 0:24:46but for years, Spain were a nation of underachievers.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50With Spain, every time, growing up and playing against them,
0:24:50 > 0:24:53even in your youth team, or playing against them
0:24:53 > 0:24:57with the first team, I was like, "Hey, you're not sure of touching
0:24:57 > 0:24:58"that ball for most of the game,
0:24:58 > 0:25:00"but, you know, somehow we can beat them.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03"So make sure we can put pressure, we can be physical with them."
0:25:03 > 0:25:06And usually, you get your own way.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08And then, suddenly, they understood
0:25:08 > 0:25:11that they could beat anyone and everyone,
0:25:11 > 0:25:13and, you know, they went on to dominate the game
0:25:13 > 0:25:14for a very long time.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22When it does matter, you guys always used to struggle, back in the day.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25And I wanted to know where, as a team,
0:25:25 > 0:25:28your spirit was in 2008 before that Euro?
0:25:29 > 0:25:31Well, to be honest, it was basically
0:25:31 > 0:25:33the same feeling that you just described -
0:25:33 > 0:25:35it was in our heads.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38When we had to play against Italy, quarterfinal,
0:25:38 > 0:25:41everyone was like, "Oh, my God. The same story.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44"France, Italy, you know, we always lose."
0:25:44 > 0:25:47And then when it went to penalties, it's like the type of moment
0:25:47 > 0:25:50where Spain will just go out on penalties.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56What was in your mind when you went to take that penalty?
0:25:59 > 0:26:02You know, at that moment, I always thought...
0:26:02 > 0:26:04I shouldn't do that.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06But I always thought, "What could
0:26:06 > 0:26:08"have happened if I miss?"
0:26:08 > 0:26:10Because I was 21 years old.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13Mentally, for a young kid, you know,
0:26:13 > 0:26:17you have a whole country expecting you to score and you let them down,
0:26:17 > 0:26:18what would have happened?
0:26:18 > 0:26:20But fortunately...
0:26:20 > 0:26:21I never did.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26When we went through to the semifinal, it was like this
0:26:26 > 0:26:29mental thing that it clicked, and we just played
0:26:29 > 0:26:30with no fear any more.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35When you beat Italy, I was like, "Oh, it's on now."
0:26:35 > 0:26:38And you went on to win that first tournament.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40And how was it when you came back home
0:26:40 > 0:26:41with that first title?
0:26:41 > 0:26:43Yeah, it was amazing.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45I think nobody expected it.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48That's the thing with that team,
0:26:48 > 0:26:50that the fans are so grateful
0:26:50 > 0:26:52to us because, you know, what
0:26:52 > 0:26:54we did, in the manner that we did
0:26:54 > 0:26:57because, as you said, we played fantastic football.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59I don't know where it came from,
0:26:59 > 0:27:01but Xavi had the tournament of his life,
0:27:01 > 0:27:04Iniesta had an amazing tournament,
0:27:04 > 0:27:07Puyol was defending like a beast, as usual.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10And the Real Madrid players - Sergio Ramos, Casillas -
0:27:10 > 0:27:12had great tournaments.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15I think we mixed different kind of players from different teams,
0:27:15 > 0:27:16but we made a real team,
0:27:16 > 0:27:19a real atmosphere of friendship, I would say, as well.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24- COMMENTATOR:- 'Spain are European champions.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28'So often they've been the bridesmaid, now they can celebrate.'
0:27:31 > 0:27:33We have to agree that Spain is a nation of nations,
0:27:33 > 0:27:37but that's seen by most people as an enriching thing.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40It's good that a nation has got a lot of languages,
0:27:40 > 0:27:41and people think in a different way.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43But of course, there is something
0:27:43 > 0:27:45that divides the country, and that's football.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48There is the Barcelona fans and there are the Real Madrid fans.
0:27:48 > 0:27:50There is no way they can be friendly at all.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53That European Championships was absolutely wonderful
0:27:53 > 0:27:55from that point of view.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59Because we were like, "Yeah, I think we can all identify with that."
0:27:59 > 0:28:01Real Madrid fans liked the fact that sometimes
0:28:01 > 0:28:04we play it long to Fernando Torres, to Villa,
0:28:04 > 0:28:08and Barcelona fans liked the fact that we kept the ball well
0:28:08 > 0:28:09and controlled games.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13So Luis Aragones was the man that put all that together
0:28:13 > 0:28:15and took us the right direction.
0:28:15 > 0:28:16The players are important,
0:28:16 > 0:28:19- but I don't know if you agree with me that a manager...- Yeah.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21..is as important.
0:28:21 > 0:28:22And Aragones, I think he was superb.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24The way he spoke to us, the way
0:28:24 > 0:28:27he made us feel that we had to win.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29He had players to win.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32From the beginning, he said, "If I don't win the Euros with this team,
0:28:32 > 0:28:34"I will...I will always remember.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37"I will have failed, like, so much as a coach."
0:28:37 > 0:28:38This was the first day.
0:28:42 > 0:28:44How did you approach the World Cup?
0:28:44 > 0:28:46Cos you had to bring something
0:28:46 > 0:28:48new in order to stay at the top.
0:28:48 > 0:28:51Yeah, I think the main difference is that in 2008,
0:28:51 > 0:28:53no-one expected us to win.
0:28:53 > 0:28:57And in 2010, everyone expected us to win.
0:28:57 > 0:28:58We started losing the first game.
0:28:58 > 0:29:00I remember that very, very well against Switzerland.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03- We beat Chile.- Very difficult game.
0:29:03 > 0:29:07That game, I think I've never felt so much tension
0:29:07 > 0:29:08in that bus.
0:29:08 > 0:29:10It's like we were going to fail,
0:29:10 > 0:29:12we were going to disappoint so many
0:29:12 > 0:29:14people if we don't win that game.
0:29:14 > 0:29:17We cannot go out in the group stage.
0:29:25 > 0:29:27Then you guys went on to win that final.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30I don't remember who gave the assist to Andres,
0:29:30 > 0:29:32in all fairness(!) Do you remember?
0:29:32 > 0:29:34- THIERRY LAUGHS - No, I don't!
0:29:36 > 0:29:37'It's broken for Fabregas.
0:29:37 > 0:29:39'Now, it's Iniesta.
0:29:39 > 0:29:40'This is it!
0:29:40 > 0:29:41'That's the goal!'
0:29:45 > 0:29:47We, with France, did something that I thought
0:29:47 > 0:29:49wasn't going to be repeated,
0:29:49 > 0:29:51and you guys took it to another level,
0:29:51 > 0:29:55because then you went to the Euros in 2012 and won it again.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58How was the difference there, again, approaching the third one?
0:29:58 > 0:30:03Obviously once you've won the two ones as France did, you know
0:30:03 > 0:30:08that you are on the edge of making history if it can happen.
0:30:08 > 0:30:11Maybe I would say that out of the three tournaments,
0:30:11 > 0:30:17it's the one where we felt, or at least myself, I felt more dominant,
0:30:17 > 0:30:19more confident because you have to remember
0:30:19 > 0:30:23we played with Busquets, Alonso and Xavi in midfield.
0:30:23 > 0:30:27And Iniesta, myself and Silva which, we are midfielders,
0:30:27 > 0:30:31we are not strikers, we played without any striker
0:30:31 > 0:30:34and I think as a team we played fantastically well.
0:30:36 > 0:30:40So 2012 is the birth of the so-called "false nine".
0:30:40 > 0:30:45It created a lot of debate. A lot of it in England, it was like, what?
0:30:45 > 0:30:47You cannot have a team without a striker.
0:30:47 > 0:30:50You know, what kind of team is that? You don't even deserve to win.
0:30:50 > 0:30:52No striker!
0:30:52 > 0:30:55What I felt, though, was that our football was quite conservative and
0:30:55 > 0:31:00that again brought a lot of negative press from the outside world.
0:31:01 > 0:31:03We left the good football for the final.
0:31:03 > 0:31:05In the final it was just superb
0:31:05 > 0:31:09and it wasn't...it was doubly pleasing cos it
0:31:09 > 0:31:13was against Italy, our black beast, the team that normally beat us.
0:31:13 > 0:31:15For many years they had the better league
0:31:15 > 0:31:17and the better players, well, not any more!
0:31:17 > 0:31:20Here's Sergio Busquets. Through for Torres.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23They're appealing for offside. The flag has stayed down.
0:31:23 > 0:31:24It's four!
0:31:24 > 0:31:29Juan Mata has made it four. Records tumbling all around us.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34Spain is not an easy country. It is a very complex country.
0:31:34 > 0:31:36A lot of voices.
0:31:36 > 0:31:42A lot of ways of thinking about the world but that every now and again manages,
0:31:42 > 0:31:46through football a lot of the time, to find one common voice.
0:31:46 > 0:31:51Spain's achievements are historic but they were the favourites.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54When you are an underdog, it's different.
0:31:54 > 0:31:57You can go unnoticed and surprise everyone.
0:31:58 > 0:32:04In 1992, a bloody civil war was raging across central Europe.
0:32:04 > 0:32:09The Balkans were at breaking point. Among the sanctions
0:32:09 > 0:32:12the United Nations imposed on Yugoslavia,
0:32:12 > 0:32:16they were banned from all sporting competition, including Euro '92.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21Just ten days before the tournament started,
0:32:21 > 0:32:23Denmark got the call to replace them.
0:32:24 > 0:32:28I've had really sort of mixed emotions.
0:32:28 > 0:32:32One was, of course, jubilation because, in many ways,
0:32:32 > 0:32:35we felt that we were the better team but, of course,
0:32:35 > 0:32:39the civil war in Yugoslavia was in many ways really hard to take
0:32:39 > 0:32:44that we then should carry that kind of responsibility into these Euros.
0:32:44 > 0:32:48A couple of players had the mindset of probably
0:32:48 > 0:32:49we will go to Sweden,
0:32:49 > 0:32:52we're going to play three games, we're going to have a shower
0:32:52 > 0:32:55and then we're going to go on a bus again and go back to Copenhagen.
0:32:55 > 0:32:58That's how the player was feeling at that time.
0:33:02 > 0:33:03We drew 0-0 with England
0:33:03 > 0:33:07and we were devastated that we hadn't won that game, devastated.
0:33:07 > 0:33:09We played the better football.
0:33:10 > 0:33:12We even had John Jensen hitting the post.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16You know, when John Jensen hits the post, then you know you've had chances!
0:33:16 > 0:33:19We deserved one point from that game
0:33:19 > 0:33:24and we knew that one point, then at least we can go on to the next
0:33:24 > 0:33:28game with some confidence and maybe belief that we can go out and beat Sweden.
0:33:31 > 0:33:34Massive, massive game and in this game we really created chances
0:33:34 > 0:33:38and they had this little fella upfront called Tomas Brolin
0:33:38 > 0:33:42and he had a knack of turning up at the right time at the right
0:33:42 > 0:33:44place with the right toe.
0:33:46 > 0:33:50And they had one chance and I'm afraid to say that they
0:33:50 > 0:33:53scored on that chance and they won the game 1-0.
0:33:55 > 0:33:59Famously, the commentator on Danish TV showing the game,
0:33:59 > 0:34:03he ended up his commentary saying that we have to now
0:34:03 > 0:34:09confirm that Denmark are out of the Euros. He did.
0:34:09 > 0:34:13Yeah. He never commentated much after that!
0:34:15 > 0:34:19Denmark were not out but they were up against it.
0:34:19 > 0:34:22They had to be beat France, the pre-tournament favourites
0:34:22 > 0:34:26managed by the legend of '84, Michel Platini.
0:34:28 > 0:34:32The French team seriously upset us in the tunnel
0:34:32 > 0:34:34and I'm not sure which player it was.
0:34:34 > 0:34:35Someone said we should go easy on them
0:34:35 > 0:34:40because they had to play the semifinal, you know, so, and it's
0:34:40 > 0:34:44just a silly thing to say because it gives you one or two extra percent because
0:34:44 > 0:34:48you just want to beat them so much because it's such an insult, right?
0:34:48 > 0:34:52Denmark have taken the lead for the second time.
0:34:52 > 0:34:55I think when we scored that goal, something happened to us.
0:34:55 > 0:34:59From being confused about how good we were
0:34:59 > 0:35:03and very unhappy with our performances in the two first
0:35:03 > 0:35:06matches and then suddenly we are in the semifinal.
0:35:06 > 0:35:10France, so many people's favourites, are out of the competition.
0:35:10 > 0:35:14A lot of things changed for us but in this country, everything changed.
0:35:14 > 0:35:17Everything stood still for the next week.
0:35:22 > 0:35:24Holland was probably the favourite to win it.
0:35:24 > 0:35:28They were European champions from some '88 throughout...
0:35:28 > 0:35:34I played against van Basten, Rijkaard, Dennis Bergkamp,
0:35:34 > 0:35:36we have always looked up to them.
0:35:38 > 0:35:40The Danes have scored.
0:35:40 > 0:35:42Bergkamp, a goal.
0:35:43 > 0:35:44Holland have equalised.
0:35:44 > 0:35:46We did everything to win it.
0:35:46 > 0:35:48Sometimes it doesn't happen.
0:35:48 > 0:35:51And why? Yeah.
0:35:54 > 0:35:56Would you believe this?
0:35:56 > 0:36:00Rijkaard, it's in, it's 2-2.
0:36:00 > 0:36:03I never for one second thought it was going to go to a penalty...
0:36:03 > 0:36:05before it went to penalties.
0:36:05 > 0:36:09I was that kind of arrogant goalkeeper.
0:36:09 > 0:36:11I never looked at who was taking the penalties.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14I wanted to feel like I was in control.
0:36:14 > 0:36:18That this was MY place and you're a guest and you better behave
0:36:18 > 0:36:20and miss.
0:36:20 > 0:36:21Oh, save!
0:36:21 > 0:36:24When it's van Basten it's massive because, obviously,
0:36:24 > 0:36:27he's one of the best strikers ever, you know?
0:36:27 > 0:36:31So, it's nice to have that kind of scalp, if you like.
0:36:33 > 0:36:37They've beaten Holland 5-4 on penalties.
0:36:37 > 0:36:40They found a lot of confidence out of the fact that they'd
0:36:40 > 0:36:44beaten us, you know, the European champions.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47So, therefore, for them there was no pressure
0:36:47 > 0:36:49and I think that that helped them a lot.
0:36:51 > 0:36:57We were in the final, we know it's Germany, we know that we'll do our best and then
0:36:57 > 0:37:00Germany turns up and win everything, that's what Gary Lineker always said.
0:37:07 > 0:37:09Two days before the final
0:37:09 > 0:37:11and we have been now together nearly three weeks.
0:37:11 > 0:37:14I remember we went past McDonald's.
0:37:14 > 0:37:19The coach suddenly stopped the bus and said, "Listen, lads,
0:37:19 > 0:37:24"there's a McDonald's over there, we've booked a table for you
0:37:24 > 0:37:27"so we're going to go in there and we're going to eat as many
0:37:27 > 0:37:31"burgers as we can," and Germany, they saw that.
0:37:31 > 0:37:33It was in the press
0:37:33 > 0:37:37and I can remember the faces of the German players.
0:37:37 > 0:37:41It was like, "OK, we're going to win this game easy now."
0:37:41 > 0:37:45'92 was then at a time where you had
0:37:45 > 0:37:48so much confidence that it then turned into overconfidence.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54Germany start the hot favourites,
0:37:54 > 0:37:57but Denmark have been playing against the odds since they started.
0:37:57 > 0:38:00They're very happy to be that way again tonight.
0:38:03 > 0:38:07I went back to Gothenburg about three weeks ago
0:38:07 > 0:38:10and it looks exactly the same.
0:38:11 > 0:38:15I could go directly out to that spot where I scored the goal from.
0:38:15 > 0:38:18It was quite a fantastic moment for me.
0:38:19 > 0:38:21We hadn't talked about John Jensen.
0:38:21 > 0:38:23For some reason, he never really scored.
0:38:23 > 0:38:29In training, people got tired of having to go and get the balls
0:38:29 > 0:38:32he's kicked because they went everywhere and, seriously, they did.
0:38:32 > 0:38:36Before the game against Germany, I took five shots
0:38:36 > 0:38:38with no goalie in the goal.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42The first three, I hit over the bar.
0:38:42 > 0:38:47Suddenly there was a guy pinching my shoulder and it was the manager.
0:38:47 > 0:38:49He told me, "John,
0:38:49 > 0:38:53"if you have a chance in the game to shoot the goal,
0:38:53 > 0:38:57"please look at your shoes and don't look up
0:38:57 > 0:38:59"because then at least you can hit the target."
0:39:09 > 0:39:10- COMMENTATOR:- The pullback.
0:39:10 > 0:39:12And a goal! John Jensen!
0:39:12 > 0:39:14A fabulous start for Denmark.
0:39:14 > 0:39:16It's John Jensen!
0:39:16 > 0:39:18I have to give him so much credit
0:39:18 > 0:39:20for always believing he could hit the target.
0:39:20 > 0:39:23The very day that we needed it, he did.
0:39:25 > 0:39:29It's dramatic, it's delightful, it's Denmark!
0:39:29 > 0:39:33We approached the final in a way that it was already won
0:39:33 > 0:39:35before we actually played the game. So we got a lesson.
0:39:35 > 0:39:39But they totally deserved that result.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42Germany turn up and you think you will win this game
0:39:42 > 0:39:44and it was a bit of an embarrassment.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49You flew home after that final and you just question yourself,
0:39:49 > 0:39:51what just happened?
0:39:51 > 0:39:55Denmark receive a fabulous and well-deserved ovation.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58We played England, who invented the game.
0:39:58 > 0:40:00We played the host, Sweden.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03We played the pre-tournament favourite,
0:40:03 > 0:40:07we played the defending champions and we played the world champions.
0:40:07 > 0:40:11I never realised that! Of course, Germany were the world champions.
0:40:11 > 0:40:13Now I think we've done well.
0:40:13 > 0:40:15Of course, they won it in '90, that's right.
0:40:16 > 0:40:19When you go on the pitch, it's 11 against 11.
0:40:19 > 0:40:22Of course, sometimes they are favourites but sometimes it's about
0:40:22 > 0:40:28belief and I think that was the main story in this one here.
0:40:30 > 0:40:33It was like a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale.
0:40:37 > 0:40:39What happened is, when we came to Copenhagen,
0:40:39 > 0:40:41we found out how big it was.
0:40:41 > 0:40:47We actually flew over the town square and seriously, it was packed.
0:40:47 > 0:40:49It was packed.
0:40:51 > 0:40:54The way the whole tournament ended up, with us winning it,
0:40:54 > 0:40:57it highlighted how important sport is.
0:40:57 > 0:41:00We won it for Denmark, of course.
0:41:00 > 0:41:05Straightaway we always said we won it for Yugoslavia as well.
0:41:05 > 0:41:10We showed that, you know, it doesn't have to be violence,
0:41:10 > 0:41:14it doesn't have to be war, we can still compete as countries.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17Even to this day, it's very, very nice.
0:41:19 > 0:41:22Denmark's victory in 1992
0:41:22 > 0:41:25was the biggest surprise in the history of the Euros.
0:41:25 > 0:41:30The kind of shock you don't expect to see again for a long, long time.
0:41:30 > 0:41:33But 12 years later, it happened again.
0:41:33 > 0:41:35This time, it happened to my team.
0:41:37 > 0:41:40At Euro 2004, we were the defending champions.
0:41:40 > 0:41:45Greece were 150-1 to lift the trophy.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48That's the fascinating side of football,
0:41:48 > 0:41:51you never know what happens in the next moment
0:41:51 > 0:41:53and I think Greece is a wonderful surprise.
0:42:18 > 0:42:23In the opening game, Greece showed the tournament hosts, Portugal.
0:42:23 > 0:42:25Everyone thought it was a one-off.
0:42:25 > 0:42:27Portugal, with a lot to do.
0:42:27 > 0:42:29Greece, with their moment in football history.
0:42:29 > 0:42:33They eventually finished second in their group,
0:42:33 > 0:42:36making it through to the quarters, where they faced us.
0:42:44 > 0:42:49Greece in the quarters? Easy, let's already think about the semis
0:42:49 > 0:42:52and this and that because, in the semis, everything is possible.
0:42:58 > 0:43:00Zagorakis away from Lizarazu.
0:43:00 > 0:43:02Opportunities here.
0:43:02 > 0:43:04Zagorakis with the cross!
0:43:04 > 0:43:06Charisteas has scored!
0:43:08 > 0:43:10People had a go at us because we lost against Greece
0:43:10 > 0:43:12and I remember saying, "I want to see them play
0:43:12 > 0:43:14"against the Czech Republic."
0:43:14 > 0:43:16Everybody was raving about the Czech Republic.
0:43:16 > 0:43:18I said, people will then maybe realise
0:43:18 > 0:43:20how hard it was to play against them.
0:43:21 > 0:43:25Into injury time at the end of the first period of extra time.
0:43:25 > 0:43:26In goes the corner!
0:43:26 > 0:43:28And they've won it!
0:43:28 > 0:43:30The Greeks have won it,
0:43:30 > 0:43:33with the silver goal.
0:43:33 > 0:43:37Against all the odds, Greece were through to the final.
0:43:37 > 0:43:39They faced the home nation, Portugal,
0:43:39 > 0:43:42who they had already beaten in the first game of the tournament.
0:44:01 > 0:44:02So who are you going for?
0:44:02 > 0:44:04I have to go for Portugal, just because they're at home.
0:44:04 > 0:44:07I'm playing percentages, as always. I'm going for the Portuguese.
0:44:07 > 0:44:08Unanimous then?
0:44:08 > 0:44:13Right, the final of Euro 2004, Portugal versus Greece.
0:44:14 > 0:44:16Dellas with the goalkeeper.
0:44:16 > 0:44:18They've scored!
0:44:19 > 0:44:23Charisteas is the player that got the touch.
0:44:23 > 0:44:25And it has stunned the Portuguese.
0:44:47 > 0:44:49The unbelievable, the unfathomable
0:44:49 > 0:44:51and the almost impossible has happened.
0:44:51 > 0:44:55Greece have won Euro 2004!
0:44:56 > 0:44:59Yes, it was ugly. Ugly and boring.
0:44:59 > 0:45:00It was boring to watch,
0:45:00 > 0:45:03but they won't care and the Greeks didn't care either.
0:45:03 > 0:45:06I think that if you tell someone, "Would you rather play well
0:45:06 > 0:45:11"and reach the quarterfinals, or play ugly and win the whole lot?"
0:45:11 > 0:45:13I know where they're going to go.
0:45:29 > 0:45:34Greece did it their way. They were resilient, pragmatic in a way.
0:45:34 > 0:45:36That was a way of saying to everybody,
0:45:36 > 0:45:40it's not about individuals, it is about a team
0:45:40 > 0:45:42and a plan that you can have.
0:45:42 > 0:45:46They had a plan, they had a good team and they won it.
0:45:46 > 0:45:49They played against good teams along the way.
0:46:08 > 0:46:11Greece's unlikely victory gives every nation hope,
0:46:11 > 0:46:14that they could, one day, lift the trophy,
0:46:14 > 0:46:17but England fans know you don't even have to win it
0:46:17 > 0:46:20to bring the country to a standstill.
0:46:21 > 0:46:2320 years ago, football came home.
0:46:23 > 0:46:28The opening ceremony was all about tradition - old England.
0:46:28 > 0:46:31But the real show was on the pitch
0:46:31 > 0:46:34and Euro '96 showed us a new side to English football.
0:46:36 > 0:46:39I think it was a carnival atmosphere in '96, a party atmosphere.
0:46:39 > 0:46:43It was just a joy to play in and a joy to watch.
0:46:46 > 0:46:49Euro '96 being here, that was really, really exciting.
0:46:49 > 0:46:52Just the idea of having a football competition here,
0:46:52 > 0:46:53we don't get them that often.
0:46:53 > 0:46:57And then the idea came up a couple of times about writing a song.
0:46:58 > 0:47:01# It's coming home, it's coming home... #
0:47:02 > 0:47:04I remember getting this cassette
0:47:04 > 0:47:07with the melody fully formed on it, as far as I remember.
0:47:07 > 0:47:11And then me and Frank sat down and we thought, well,
0:47:11 > 0:47:13all the previous football songs we've ever heard,
0:47:13 > 0:47:16England songs, have all been very triumphant
0:47:16 > 0:47:18and the key point about that is, they've always been wrong.
0:47:18 > 0:47:20They were always wrong, we never did win.
0:47:20 > 0:47:23Never got near winning. Except in '66.
0:47:23 > 0:47:25# 30 years of hurt
0:47:26 > 0:47:30# Never stopped me dreaming... #
0:47:30 > 0:47:32And we wanted something that feels like,
0:47:32 > 0:47:35this is actually how it feels to watch this team over many years.
0:47:35 > 0:47:37It's a bittersweet song.
0:47:37 > 0:47:39Frank has actually described it as a bittersweet love song
0:47:39 > 0:47:42to the England football team. And it sort of is that.
0:47:42 > 0:47:46# Everyone seems to know the score
0:47:46 > 0:47:50# They've seen it all before
0:47:50 > 0:47:53# They just know, they're so sure... #
0:47:55 > 0:47:59There was a very strong sense in the press and from pundits,
0:47:59 > 0:48:01"Oh, yeah, this is a bunch of wasters.
0:48:01 > 0:48:04"Look at them, they're going to screw up our big chance
0:48:04 > 0:48:06"to win a big competition that's in our home country."
0:48:06 > 0:48:11They were under a lot of pressure with drink and the whole thing.
0:48:11 > 0:48:15We were up against it from the very start
0:48:15 > 0:48:20because on a trip three or four weeks prior to the tournament,
0:48:20 > 0:48:26Terry Venables took us away on a trip to Hong Kong.
0:48:26 > 0:48:28Then the proverbial hit the fan,
0:48:28 > 0:48:31whereas the guys were caught out drinking late in the night,
0:48:31 > 0:48:35early in the morning, so the newspapers were all over it.
0:48:37 > 0:48:38Yeah, the dentist chair,
0:48:38 > 0:48:40it was my birthday as well that time, I know that.
0:48:40 > 0:48:43Talk about celebrating your birthday, I did that,
0:48:43 > 0:48:44and I didn't realise...
0:48:44 > 0:48:46Obviously, it was normal, what was going on back home
0:48:46 > 0:48:51but it was when we landed, when I saw the press taking photos of us.
0:48:51 > 0:48:54That unsavoury incident brought us together as a team.
0:48:54 > 0:48:57How did you feel about having a tournament at home
0:48:57 > 0:48:59and the response of the fans in Europe?
0:48:59 > 0:49:03We didn't get off to the best start in the tournament.
0:49:03 > 0:49:07We played Switzerland at Wembley. 1-1.
0:49:07 > 0:49:11We beat Scotland, which was a massive occasion for us again.
0:49:14 > 0:49:17This is Neville.
0:49:17 > 0:49:19Oh, and there's Alan Shearer!
0:49:20 > 0:49:23England had drawn with Switzerland in the first game
0:49:23 > 0:49:27and there had been a slightly dour sense of, indeed, the song is right,
0:49:27 > 0:49:31it's going to be a disaster, or very mediocre, or whatever.
0:49:31 > 0:49:35Then in the course of quite a short time, they get a penalty, Scotland.
0:49:35 > 0:49:38Gary McAllister misses. It's saved by David Seaman.
0:49:38 > 0:49:40The ball goes up the other end, Gazza scores an incredible goal,
0:49:40 > 0:49:43the sun comes out, we win.
0:49:43 > 0:49:44Here's Gascoigne.
0:49:44 > 0:49:46Oh, brilliant! Oh, yes!
0:49:46 > 0:49:48We were in the dressing room.
0:49:48 > 0:49:51"Whoever scores, lads, do the dentist chair."
0:49:51 > 0:49:53Being an alcoholic, it had to be me!
0:49:55 > 0:49:58Game before, I got taken off after 70 minutes.
0:49:58 > 0:50:00I got loads of stick from the press afterwards,
0:50:00 > 0:50:02so that shut them up a little bit,
0:50:02 > 0:50:05but it was such a brilliant goal, I must admit.
0:50:05 > 0:50:09I think the impact of a tournament at home is massive.
0:50:09 > 0:50:13It definitely had a snowball effect on us.
0:50:13 > 0:50:16Once we got a decent result, everyone got a little bit
0:50:16 > 0:50:19more excited and the country definitely got behind us.
0:50:19 > 0:50:22It wasn't just football fans, it was your mum, everyone,
0:50:22 > 0:50:25even people who had never watched a football match
0:50:25 > 0:50:27were suddenly swept up in it.
0:50:27 > 0:50:30You could see mums and dads and kids and grandmas and grannies
0:50:30 > 0:50:33with all the England shirts on and we thought, you know what?
0:50:33 > 0:50:36This tournament has just taken off here.
0:50:36 > 0:50:40When you guys beat Holland, I was like, "Wow!"
0:50:43 > 0:50:44England lead!
0:50:47 > 0:50:49Shearer!
0:50:50 > 0:50:52Sheringham! It's four.
0:50:54 > 0:50:57I thought personally that you were going to win it, at that time.
0:50:57 > 0:50:59The Dutch were a very, very good team.
0:50:59 > 0:51:00Some big-name players,
0:51:00 > 0:51:05but the performance from all our players on that day was superb.
0:51:06 > 0:51:07England were on a roll.
0:51:07 > 0:51:10Every team needs a bit of luck to win a tournament
0:51:10 > 0:51:13and when they beat Spain on penalties in the quarters,
0:51:13 > 0:51:16I really thought their name was on the trophy.
0:51:17 > 0:51:21But then, in the semifinals, came the Germans.
0:51:21 > 0:51:26For England, it seems, it's always the Germans.
0:51:26 > 0:51:28We were realistic.
0:51:28 > 0:51:31We were not the best team in the Euros in '96.
0:51:31 > 0:51:33But we had an amazing chemistry.
0:51:33 > 0:51:39We had an amazing willingness to suffer, to go the extra mile.
0:51:39 > 0:51:44Germany go up the other end and they are 2-1 up. How often do they do it?
0:51:44 > 0:51:47It became a team that won because they played as a team
0:51:47 > 0:51:50and managed to hide their flaws and managed to pull together,
0:51:50 > 0:51:52but this was not a great footballing side.
0:51:52 > 0:51:55Ironically, the one game that was probably outstanding
0:51:55 > 0:51:57was the semifinal against England.
0:51:57 > 0:51:59Hello again, glad you've tuned in.
0:51:59 > 0:52:02You've obviously heard there's a football match on tonight.
0:52:02 > 0:52:04You couldn't even describe what the atmosphere was like
0:52:04 > 0:52:08from the English fans, how emotional everything was.
0:52:08 > 0:52:10It really gave you goosebumps.
0:52:12 > 0:52:14The whole nation really got behind this team
0:52:14 > 0:52:16and I think it was impossible not to be caught up by that.
0:52:16 > 0:52:19Of course, the Germans being the spoilsports,
0:52:19 > 0:52:22rock up to ruin the party for everyone!
0:52:23 > 0:52:27When you scored that first goal, early on, three minutes?
0:52:27 > 0:52:31Yeah, it was early in the game, four or five minutes, from a corner.
0:52:31 > 0:52:33And the way the game went, I said, "They can't lose."
0:52:33 > 0:52:35Wonderful start!
0:52:35 > 0:52:37We just felt everything was falling for us here.
0:52:37 > 0:52:40It was all going so great for us.
0:52:40 > 0:52:42It was a back and forth. It could have gone either way.
0:52:42 > 0:52:45But we had this drive in our group that said,
0:52:45 > 0:52:49"We're going to hang in there, we're going to win this thing."
0:52:49 > 0:52:52They equalised and it goes to that golden goal time,
0:52:52 > 0:52:57as it was then, and Gazza was half an inch away.
0:52:57 > 0:52:59Gascoigne!
0:52:59 > 0:53:01I don't believe it!
0:53:01 > 0:53:06Then again, we go to penalties and because of what's happened
0:53:06 > 0:53:09against Spain, we are still confident.
0:53:09 > 0:53:12All our first penalty takers, and to be fair to Germany,
0:53:12 > 0:53:14there's were also absolutely perfect.
0:53:14 > 0:53:17Then we get on to the guys who don't really want to take penalties
0:53:17 > 0:53:19and then the rest is history.
0:53:21 > 0:53:23Oh, no!
0:53:26 > 0:53:28The Germans go through again.
0:53:29 > 0:53:32Did you watch the final?
0:53:32 > 0:53:33I did watch the final, yeah.
0:53:33 > 0:53:37I watched it because I knew I was sitting as top scorer
0:53:37 > 0:53:40and I didn't want Jurgen Klinsmann to go
0:53:40 > 0:53:45and score a goal or two to take over me!
0:53:45 > 0:53:48Thankfully, he didn't. He won the tournament and I got top scorer.
0:53:48 > 0:53:50Still Klinsmann.
0:53:50 > 0:53:53It was not the most beautiful game,
0:53:53 > 0:53:55but we were effective.
0:53:55 > 0:53:56And it's gone in!
0:53:56 > 0:53:59Getting handed that trophy at Wembley,
0:53:59 > 0:54:02that meant a lot, there's no doubt about it.
0:54:02 > 0:54:06It means a lot to us Germans to win a game at Wembley!
0:54:09 > 0:54:14Staying in a hotel in Marble Arch and I was lying in bed
0:54:14 > 0:54:16and it was quite hot.
0:54:17 > 0:54:20All this noise and in the street were loads of German fans
0:54:20 > 0:54:24singing Three Lions outside the window! It was really...
0:54:24 > 0:54:28It's hard not to be a hooligan!
0:54:29 > 0:54:33I think it was just a beautiful song.
0:54:33 > 0:54:36It hit us extremely in the semifinal with England
0:54:36 > 0:54:38because we were overwhelmed by that.
0:54:38 > 0:54:42# It's coming home, it's coming
0:54:42 > 0:54:45# Football's coming home... #
0:54:45 > 0:54:51It became a huge, huge anthem in Germany. I think it's beautiful.
0:54:51 > 0:54:54The party that had started in England continued in Germany,
0:54:54 > 0:54:57but the tournament's feelgood factor
0:54:57 > 0:54:59was felt long after that summer.
0:54:59 > 0:55:02Euro '96 had changed how English football was seen,
0:55:02 > 0:55:04both at home and abroad.
0:55:04 > 0:55:10Certainly being English, supporting England and liking football,
0:55:10 > 0:55:14had been slightly shameful, maybe, in the '70s and '80s because people
0:55:14 > 0:55:16tended to be associated with,
0:55:16 > 0:55:19A, not very good football and, B, hooliganism.
0:55:19 > 0:55:22But there is a way of being patriotic that is not
0:55:22 > 0:55:25nationalist and I think that was found in the country
0:55:25 > 0:55:28and in football and at Wembley at the same time.
0:55:29 > 0:55:33Do you replay that tournament sometimes in your head,
0:55:33 > 0:55:36thinking, "We could have won it and I wish we had won it"?
0:55:36 > 0:55:39Well, I only ever think about it about once a day now,
0:55:39 > 0:55:41instead of five or ten times a day!
0:55:43 > 0:55:4720 years on, the Euros are almost here again.
0:55:47 > 0:55:51It will be the biggest European Championships ever.
0:55:51 > 0:55:53With the final in Paris, in the Stade de France,
0:55:53 > 0:55:56it may also be the most important.
0:55:56 > 0:55:58In November last year,
0:55:58 > 0:56:02the stadium was among a number of targets attacked by terrorists.
0:56:03 > 0:56:07I think the country is still in shock after the attacks.
0:56:07 > 0:56:11The thing that came off it was that we all got together.
0:56:11 > 0:56:14We showed a unity, a solidarity.
0:56:14 > 0:56:18The world came together, for France.
0:56:18 > 0:56:20CROWD SING LA MARSEILLAISE
0:56:21 > 0:56:24For me, Wembley, home of football,
0:56:24 > 0:56:30singing the French national anthem, that was just amazing.
0:56:30 > 0:56:32Football came together.
0:56:36 > 0:56:38Wembley was an incredible experience
0:56:38 > 0:56:41and I think it will be the same in the Euros.
0:56:41 > 0:56:44Yes, everybody will come over and support their team and everything
0:56:44 > 0:56:46but there will be a sense, I think,
0:56:46 > 0:56:48from everybody coming to France about,
0:56:48 > 0:56:51we were with you in November when your country was under attack.
0:56:51 > 0:56:52We're still with you now.
0:56:56 > 0:56:5924 nations, a festival of football.
0:56:59 > 0:57:04The traditional superpowers are joined by talented smaller nations,
0:57:04 > 0:57:08with Wales and Northern Ireland going to a major tournament
0:57:08 > 0:57:10for the first time in a long time.
0:57:12 > 0:57:15France is ready to welcome them all.
0:57:15 > 0:57:17All I want to think is that football is my life,
0:57:17 > 0:57:21football is a beautiful sport for so many people
0:57:21 > 0:57:23and that we will all be happy.
0:57:23 > 0:57:26I hope this tournament is remembered for the right reasons.
0:57:27 > 0:57:33We all do, because sport unifies, sport makes people happy.
0:57:33 > 0:57:37That mustn't be a platform for terror.
0:57:37 > 0:57:39It's about happiness.
0:57:39 > 0:57:43It's about having fun and, obviously, being secure.
0:57:43 > 0:57:48We can bring all those nations together, through football,
0:57:48 > 0:57:50the sport that we love the most.
0:57:50 > 0:57:52The sport I love the most
0:57:52 > 0:57:55and it is the number one sport in the world, in all fairness.
0:57:57 > 0:58:00# Once I was seven years old... #
0:58:00 > 0:58:02My trip down Memory Lane has reminded me
0:58:02 > 0:58:05just how powerful football is.
0:58:05 > 0:58:07# It was a big, big world
0:58:07 > 0:58:10# But we thought we were bigger... #
0:58:10 > 0:58:14The Euros have shown how it brings people together.
0:58:14 > 0:58:16Especially when you win.
0:58:21 > 0:58:25# Once I was 20 years old, my story got told... #
0:58:25 > 0:58:29I've seen it in France before and I would love that for France again.
0:58:36 > 0:58:40You will be watching this at home, backing your team, of course.
0:58:40 > 0:58:41I'm backing France.
0:58:42 > 0:58:45Allez Les Bleus!
0:58:45 > 0:58:48# Once I was seven years old. #