Former England defender Wayne Bridge has hailed the “great job” done by Gareth Southgate for the Three Lions so far, whilst revealing exactly how David Beckham was feeling after his famous penalty against Argentina in 2002.
The ex- Chelsea and Manchester City star made 36 appearances for the Three Lions during his career having made his debut all the way back in 2002. The left-back impressed then manager Sven Goran Eriksson enough to earn a place in the World Cup squad in South Korea and Japan as England reached the quarter-finals.
He only made two appearances at the tournament itself but one did come in a famous group stage victory against Argentina - Beckham converting the eventual winning penalty. Bridge has revealed there was added motivation within the Three Lions camp to win the game, particularly from the former Manchester United star, after his controversial red card against the same opponents.
Speaking to Mirror Football in partnership with Samsung, he said: “100% yeah [there was added pressure]. It was a great game, great atmosphere and there was only one person who was going to take that penalty, wasn’t there?
“He [Beckham] was absolutely buzzing and again yeah I was buzzing to get on the pitch and be part of it. It was a great game, such an intense game. I’ve played in big games in my career but it’s got to be up there with the atmosphere.”
Whilst Bridge was only actually afforded 15 minutes of game time at the tournament, it left a huge impression on him, especially being only 21-years-old at the time.
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“Personally, it was good to get on the pitch at some point so that was great,” he said. “Obviously it was great to go as well because I think I made my debut in February before the tournament and obviously made an impression in 45 minutes because I broke my toe and had to come off.
“It was great to go. You know what really stands out to me is in the first game and obviously being in Japan, they love a camera. The crowd, it was like fireworks going off because every person in the stadium had a flash constantly going.
“It was like a firework show. I remember that standing out and obviously the atmosphere was absolutely brilliant.”
England’s squad in 2002 was certainly blessed with talent - the likes of Beckham, Michael Owen, Paul Scholes and Rio Ferdinand all key players. One intriguing name from the time does stand out more so than most: Gareth Southgate.
The now-England boss was one of the elder statesmen in the squad. Bridge has revealed that he did not see Southgate's managerial career coming, but has been impressed with the success that Southgate has enjoyed in charge of the Three Lions despite bizarre claims over his position following the dire draw against the USA in Qatar.
Bridge said: “I just don’t think you ever know to be honest. Some people surprise you. I know a lot of people do their badges just to have them just incase so you just never know.
“Scott Parker, I’m friends with him, but I wouldn’t have known if he was going to be a manager or not but then he got into coaching and all I heard was good things about him to be honest. You just never know but Gareth has done a great job so far.
“Something little doesn’t go right, you’re never going to please everyone. I like the way he has gone about his business and he does what he believes in. I like that. It’s not an easy job the England job.
“He’s done well - look at how far he’s gone in tournaments so far. He’s done well. We can all sit there and say we should have won and the team we got we should have won but look at the teams we had back in the years and how far they went. He’s done well.”
Wayne Bridge has teamed up with Samsung to offer fans the opportunity to win a live and immersive football experience of the semi finals and final at their exclusive Neo QLED 8K viewing pod, powered by Quantum Dot technology, at their Samsung KX space in London. Winners will also receive free snacks and drinks in the pod, as well as £300 worth of restaurant vouchers. To enter the competition, visit Samsung UK’s Facebook page here before 4th December. See here for full T&Cs.
For more information on Samsung’s Neo QLED TV range including Neo QLED 8K, please visit: https://www.samsung.com/uk/tvs/qled-tv/highlights/
