Exclusive:Sheffield United royalty's England rallying cry as Harry Kane and Co. look to make World Cup history v Argentina
Tony Currie, the Sheffield United great and former England international, has told the current Three Lions squad that they are within touching distance of cementing their place in football history alongside the legends of 1966 as he backs them to overcome Argentina tonight. He spoke to Danny Hall
Tony Currie, the England international and Sheffield United’s greatest-ever player, has told Thomas Tuchel’s current crop of Three Lions stars that they can secure their place in English football immortality if they can win two more games at this summer’s World Cup.
England take on old foes Argentina tonight with a place in the final at stake, a stage they have not graced since winning the tournament for the first - and, so far, last - time 60 years ago.
But belief is growing that this could finally be the year, with the great Lionel Messi and Co. standing between England and a crack at becoming world champions. “I was 16 when we won it in 1966 and I played with the likes of Bobby Moore and Martin Peters,” Currie said.
“They were all part of that legendary squad of course and if we can do that again this year then the current lads will put themselves in that sort of bracket. They have the chance to make their own history.
“We’ve underachieved a lot over the years. We’ve nearly got there and just fallen short. I just think this year, it's going for us a little bit.
.jpeg?crop=3:2,smart&trim=&width=640&quality=65)
“I think we can manage it and at least get to the final. If we do, then that will obviously be a different kettle of fish again. But I wish the boys all the best and think we can certainly do it.”
Blades icon Currie did not have the chance to play at a senior global tournament, with England failing to qualify for both the 1974 and 1978 World Cups. But he remains a proud member of an exclusive club, currently made of just 1296 men, to have pulled on a Three Lions shirt since the first international game in football history, against Scotland in 1874.
Currie can instantly remember his legacy number unprompted - 882 - despite 54 years passing since his debut against Northern Ireland back in 1972. A total of 17 caps is seen by many as a little light, considering his ability, in an era when maverick players tended to be overlooked for more functional ones.
But tonight, when captain Harry Kane leads out the current crop of England players in Atlanta, they will be standing on the shoulders of the players who went before them.
“I’m very privileged and proud to have played for England,” Currie added, in an exclusive interview with The Star. “People say I should have had more caps, and but for an injury and manager I probably would have had 50. But there were still some who were less fortunate than I was. Stan Bowles, Rodney Marsh, they barely got a game.
“There are players who never played at Wembley. I played at the old stadium 12 times, 10 for England. And two in the FA Cup final. It makes me feel very proud.”
Historically games between England and Argentina have rarely been dull affairs, with the added backdrop of the Falklands conflict in the 1980s providing a bit of extra spice to one of football’s fiercest rivalries.
“It’ll be a tough game,” admitted Currie. “I just hope it's not going to be a boring game where both teams are sort of not going for it, as it were. Lionel Messi is obviously the dangerman, no matter how old he is.
“He doesn’t need a second chance, so we’ve got to snuff him out. There is a bit of a worry, for me, because we don’t go past people enough. Jude Bellingham is a great player but I think there’s even more to come from him.
“I’d just like us to be a bit more positive at times, as a team. We’re fine at the back, even if Messi is always a problem. But I think we can win it. I’d give us an 80 per cent chance of winning that game. And then, who knows?”