Teddy Sheringham exclusive: Beating the Netherlands 4-1 at Euro 96 was better than winning the 1999 Treble with Manchester United
In a 25-year career that included three league titles and a goal in a Champions League final, Teddy Sheringham has revealed his favourite ever match
A key member of a number of England squads over the years, the striker holds the 4-1 thrashing of the Netherlands at Euro 96 as the highlight of his playing days.
Sheringham scored twice that day, first heading in a Paul Gascoigne set-piece, before turning in a Darren Anderton shot that had been spilled by Van der Sar.
“Everyone talks to me about 1999, winning the Treble, but for me it’s playing for England at Wembley, in a major competition, beating Holland 4-1 the way we did, scoring two goals and being made man of the match,” Sheringham tells FourFourTwo in our February 2020 issue – a Euro 96 special (see below). “It doesn’t get much better than that.”
The moment he says was most special, however, was his assist for the third goal – a team move that saw Steve McManaman feed the ball to Paul Gascoigne, who cut back to Sheringham, who feinted a shot at goal but instead played a simple pass to Alan Shearer to score.
"That goal was perfect. We overloaded them and found the extra man – that's what you look for in a team with Macca, Darren [Anderton], Gazza and Alan [Shearer]. It was an attacking formation that wanted to interact, pass and move. That was the beauty."
The 4-1 win against the Dutch meant that England topped the group, leaving the Netherlands to face off against France in the next round.
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The other two goals that sunny day in June came from Alan Shearer, but Sheringham claims he could’ve even had a hat-trick, had he not have been feeling generous.
“I could have had a shot if Alan wasn’t there but, seeing him out of the corner of my eye in a better position, only the pass felt right,” he says.
“Against such a talented country, you think that if you don’t carry on scoring they can turn it around. Tides turn very quickly.”
Read the full interview with Teddy Sheringham in the February 2020 issue of FourFourTwo magazine, available to pre-order now, and out in shops and available digitally from Tuesday, January 14. This issue is a Euro 96 special, delving into the last time England hosted a major international tournament with interviews and features from Terry Venables, Gareth Southgate, David Baddiel and Frank Skinner, Karel Poborsky, Barry Davies, John Motson and many more. We also speak with Peter Crouch about life post-retirement, ask Darren Anderton your questions and chart the highs and lows of Panini stickers.
