Dominic Calvert-Lewin knows what it takes to win a major tournament in an England shirt and says the current crop of players are determined to make their own history.
The Everton striker was part of the Young Lions squad that won the Under-17s World Cup in 2017, scoring the winning goal in the final against Venezuela.
Four years later he is part of the senior group that is going for glory in Euro 2020, with a last-16 game to come against Germany on Tuesday.
While a nation of weary football fans know exactly what playing against the Germans usually entails, Gareth Southgate’s current group bears no mental scars of losing to the old enemy.
And Calvert-Lewin insists the squad is only focusing on the future as they aim to produce their own memories.
Asked whether England carry baggage against Germany going into the game, he said: “I can’t speak for anyone else but personally, absolutely not.
“Like I say, my memories are a little bit different and we’re just looking forward to making our own history and winning this game.
“It’s not something that we really speak about in that sense, I think it’s quite a young squad so it’s not really in the memory, so how could we then kind of lose sleep over something like that?
“We are kind of looking forward, I feel like this is a group that looks forward.
“And we’re kind of looking to make a difference in what’s been already, so for me it’s not something we really give too much thought to.
“I think that’s one of the main things you have to believe, if you want to achieve anything in life.
“Within the camp we believe we can win the Euros and you have to if you want to achieve that.”
The Everton striker is the only player from that Under-17s squad left in the main group for the European Championship after goalkeeper Dean Henderson pulled out with injury.
So he has a unique experience of winning at a tournament and hopes to get another taste of it this summer.
“I think obviously the World Cup and having that experience of winning, that winning feeling … I think we had the (European) Under-21 tournament a couple of summers later and that didn’t go quite the same, so I’ve experienced it on both ends,” he said.
“But to experience winning is a special feeling. We have some Champions League winners in the team and players that have won trophies.
“But particularly for England we’re looking to make that history.”
Calvert-Lewin said playing in international tournaments was “a very unique experience”.
“It is very much a bubble which you’re in and with different time zones and not being able to speak to my family as much,” he said, adding the Under-17 World Cup had shown the importance of momentum.
“I think because we were winning games and we had that inner feeling and belief that we could go all the way, that kind of carried us all the way through.”
