England Manager Gareth Southgate Believes His Players Can Become Bigger Legends Than 1966 Winners

England manager Gareth Southgate has insisted that his current England squad have the potential to be even more revered than Alf Ramsey's 1966 World Cup-winning team.

After beating Sweden 2-0 in the quarter-finals, England qualified for their first World Cup semi-final since 1990 and are only one win away from a place in the final.

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Speaking to the Mirror, Southgate said that the team have discussed the 1966 World Cup winning team and what they mean to the country.

"We've talked briefly on the team which won. How they're still held and revered.

"At the beginning we were working together with the lads and trying to sell them the vision of what's possible, what we're looking to achieve in the long-term.

"We also feel we've had events on when we've been in camp when some of those guys [from 1966] have been in, when the road was named at St George's after Sir Alf.

"I've met quite a few of those players and we know exactly how they're held and perhaps in the modern era that would be even crazier, social media and everything else, the global thing is so much bigger."

England have managed to improve as a national squad under Gareth Southgate, who is leading the team in their first international tournament since the 2016 European Championship, where former manager Roy Hodgson's contract ended following a 2-1 loss to Iceland.

Southgate's England side will play Croatia in the semi-finals on Wednesday evening, where England captain Harry Kane will be hoping to get on the score sheet as he pursues the coveted Golden Boot award.