England football boss Southgate says team bond through beer, Ed Sheeran’s music

Ed Sheeran attended the match of England at Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen on June 30 when the team beat Slovakia 2-1 in the round of 16 thanks to an extra time goal by Harry Kane.

The day after the match, Ed Sheeran appeared at England national team’s headquarters near Blankenhain and performed for Southgate and the players for about 30 minutes. According to videos posted on social networks, one of the songs performed by the 32-year-old singer is the hit “The A-Team.”

Southgate also let the players drink beer while enjoying Ed Sheeran’s performance.

Ed Sheeran (R) performs for England national football team on July 1, 2024. Photo by Instagram/@england

“We were lucky enough to hear Ed Sheeran perform and it was amazing,” Southgate said at a press conference before the Euro 2024 semifinal against Netherlands. “The players also had a few beers. You can bond that way.”

Southgate also said that the high expectations before the tournament put England under pressure and they did not show their best form. In the group stage, England only won 1-0 against Serbia, drew 1-1 with Denmark and 0-0 with Slovenia. After eliminating Slovakia, they could only beat Switzerland on penalties in the quarterfinals.

“One of our strengths over the years is that we were more confident but when entering the tournament, expectations were high and the pressure from outside is heavier than ever,” Southgate said. “We are not at our best yet, but what is impressive is that the team showed consistency and found a way to win. This is an opportunity for us to make history. We are trying to create a new foundation and it was not easy but the players were resilient.”

In the semifinal, England put on a great performance as they came back to win 2-1 against the Netherlands thanks to the last-minute goal by Ollie Watkins. The team will play the final against Spain on July 14.