Ian Wright has promised to get kitted up in traditional German lederhosen if England reach the final of Euro 2024.
Gareth Southgate's side made it to the last Euros final in 2021 but agonisingly lost to Italy on penalties at Wembley. Now the Three Lions are in Germany preparing to have another crack at it, with England tipped as the favourites to go all the way.
Reaching back-to-back Euro finals would be enough for Wright to fully embrace the culture, as lederhosen is synonymous with host nation Germany and particularly the Bavarian region. That's where Scotland were on Friday night for the opening game of the tournament - a humiliating 5-1 loss to Germany - and Wright was on punditry duty for ITV. "If England get to the final, I'll put lederhosen on," the Arsenal legend declared.
England will have to navigate Group C first, though, with the Three Lions kicking off their campaign against Serbia on Sunday in the city of Gelsenkirchen. Then it's off to Frankfurt to face Denmark next Thursday before playing Slovenia in Cologne the following Tuesday.
The final will be held at the Olympiastadion in Berlin on Sunday, July 14, with the likes of Germany, France and Portugal among the other favourites. Should both teams win their group and advance to the last four, England would face France in the semi-finals and Wright believes the winner of that game will go on to lift the famous Henri Delaunay Cup.
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"So many teams have match-winners," the ex-England international told ITV ahead of the tournament. "The home advantage for Germany cannot be understated, and they're overdue a good run in a tournament. My favourites, though, have to be France or England.
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"France have the world’s best player in Mbappe and reached the World Cup final. In [Phil] Foden, [Jude] Bellingham and [Bukayo] Saka, England have arguably the best quartet of attacking midfielders, and Kane has just had the season of his life. If England get to the semis they will likely face France and whoever wins that should win the tournament." Wright added: "Semi-finals or bust - anything less will be a disappointment."
Southgate has also suggested that Euro 2024 will be his last tournament as England manager if the Three Lions fail to win it, as he told German tabloid Bild earlier this week: "If we don't win, I probably won't be here anymore. Then it might be the last chance. If we want to be a big team and I want to be a top coach, then you have to deliver in the big moments."
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