Invincible Lions
The Invincible Lions, sometimes referred to as the Invincible Three Lions, refers to the England national football team which gained fame for winning three straight FIFA World Cups and three straight UEFA European Championships in a row, becoming the first and only nation to do so in both instances. Known as such for their perceived "invincibility" and undefeated streak over an almost decade-long period, the team was led by Swedish-born manager Sven-Göran Eriksson and featured a host of players considered to be some of England's best footballing talents including William Carter, Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard, David Beckham, John Terry, and Rio Ferdinand. Alternatively, the team has been known by several other nicknames including the Invincible Three, the English Invincibles, and The Untouchables.
In 2006, the team notably broke a forty-year-long wait at the World Cup that year in a 5-2 win over Italy, which they soon followed up on with their first European title in a 4-2 win over Germany in the Euro 2008 before further adding onto it with a second consecutive World Cup title in 2010 in a 5-0 win over the Netherlands, followed by a record second consecutive European title in 2012 with a 4-2 win over Spain, before eventually concluding with a third consecutive World Cup title in 2014 in a 4-2 win on penalties against Argentina and a similar third consecutive European title in 2016 in a 7-2 win over Belgium. In 2016, after fifteen years spent as England's head coach, the longest in history, Eriksson resigned from his post and was succeeded by Gareth Southgate who subsequently led the national team to sustained success before resigning in 2024 after an eight-year period, after which he was succeeded by former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel.
Considered to be the best and most successful international football team of all time, the "Invincible Lions", highly renowned for their unprecedented dominance, has since come to be seen as having kickstarted the so-called "Wembley Renaissance" in which both the England men's and women's national teams, after decades of lack of success and perceived underachievement since the former's 1966 triumph, gradually began re-establishing themselves as dominant footballing forces in the present era with the men's team later going on to win the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups as well as the 2020 and 2024 UEFA European Championships while the women's team have won the 2015, 2019, and 2023 FIFA Women's World Cups as well as the 2017 and 2022 UEFA's Women's Championships respectively. Evidently, as of 2023, both the men's and women's national teams are currently ranked #1 in the world respectively. In this, their women's counterparts are known as "Invincible Lionesses" and are currently led by Sarina Wiegman. On 26 August 2024, following a disclosed battle with cancer, Sven-Göran Eriksson passed away at the age of 76, eight years following his retirement as England manager.