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Why Thomas Tuchel could become England's next Sir Alf Ramsey

As England prepare to kick off their 2026 World Cup campaign, comparisons with Sir Alf Ramsey may seem premature. Yet GRANT BAGE argues that Thomas Tuchel’s attention to detail, conviction and leadership style have more in common with England’s only World Cup-winning manager than many realise.

16.06.26, 16:30 Updated 16.06.26, 22:34

Grant Bage

Grant Bage

As football mad kids from any continent will tell you, World Cups create lifelong memories: and 36 years ago one certainly did for a gangly German teenager called Thomas Tuchel. That young lad, from small-town Bavaria, is now about to lead England into USA 2026, but his memory bank still brims with Italia 1990.

Tuchel was 16 years old and, in a pre-internet adolescence, pored obsessively over World Cup sticker books and cuttings from football magazines.

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Grant Bage

Grant Bage Historian and author with a modern perspective on England’s identity. Brings depth, research and a long-term view of where the national side has come from and where it is heading.

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