Euro 2024 final, Spain v England: Inside the England camp – by our BBC experts

Steve Crossman:

Making England fun again was definitely the central mission statement when Gareth Southgate took England to his first major tournament in 2018, and it is something the England manager has hinted was at one stage in jeopardy here in Germany.

But six years later, that tradition survives.

I have sat down with several England players within the walls of their Blankenhain Castle media hub, and not once have they tried to pull up the drawbridge.

Despite the criticism, despite the noise, they are as open now as they were on day one when Ivan Toney joked to me he would get a tattoo of the Euros trophy on his face should they go all the way and win it.

Anthony Gordon has explained his love of reading self-help books, and how unlikely siblings’ chess and boxing have influenced him.

We have been given a window into the diverse backstories of England’s heroes, from Ezri Konsa’s description of communication and life lessons from his Angolan mother and his father, who comes from Democratic Republic of Congo, to Bukayo Saka’s Yoruba Nigerian heritage, his name means Added Joy – of course it does.

Then there was Cole Palmer telling us about his father and grandfather, a proud member of the Windrush generation, who came to the UK from St Kitts and Nevis.

There is no hint of trepidation, no sign of discomfort in front of the many cameras. Six years have gone by, but you would not know it has been more than two seconds, aside from a new cast of characters joining the squad.

There is no doubt some people will judge Gareth Southgate’s tenure on what happens on Sunday, but his players will not.