England face Spain in Saturday’s European Under-21 Championship final looking to emulate the team of 1984.
That year the Young Lions, who also won in 1982, beat Spain 3-0 on aggregate – 1-0 in Sevilla and 2-0 in Sheffield.
But what did the players who featured in either leg of that final go on to do?
Gary Bailey – Manchester United goalkeeper
Senior caps: Two
Bailey’s career with Manchester United came to an end just three years later because of a knee injury. He came out of retirement to play for Kaizer Chiefs in South Africa and, after retiring again, went on to become a football TV presenter.
Peter Hucker – QPR goalkeeper
Senior caps: None
Hucker went on to play for QPR and Oxford in the top flight, but never won a senior England call-up. He ran soccer schools after retiring.
Mel Sterland – Sheffield Wednesday defender
Senior caps: One
Sterland – who scored in the first leg in Spain – would win one senior cap for England and pick up league titles with Rangers and Leeds. After retiring he managed in non-league.
Nick Pickering – Sunderland defender
Senior caps: One
Pickering won a senior England cap the year before the U21 Euros, but did not claim another one. He won the 1987 FA Cup with Coventry.
Derek Mountfield – Everton defender
Senior caps: None
Mountfield’s appearance in the second leg of the 1984 final was the only England U21s cap he received. He won two league titles, the European Cup Winners’ Cup and an FA Cup at Everton. After a spell at Aston Villa injuries saw him drop down the leagues, before going on to manage Scarborough and Cork City.
Danny Thomas – Tottenham defender
Senior caps: Two
Full-back Thomas was forced to retire aged 26 in 1988 after an awful challenge by QPR’s Gavin Maguire and won £130,000 in a settlement. He went on to be a physio in Florida.
Paul Bracewell – Everton midfielder
Senior caps: Three
Bracewell had an injury-hit career, though enjoyed success with Everton including winning the 1984-85 First Division title and European Cup Winners’ Cup in the same season. He also played for Stoke, Sunderland, Newcastle and Fulham, before managing the Cottagers and Halifax.
Dave Watson – Norwich defender
Senior caps: 12
Watson played in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s (just). He spent his whole career with Norwich and Everton and made his final Toffees appearance on 15 January 2000. He managed Tranmere and has worked with several other clubs.
Gary Stevens – Tottenham defender
Senior caps: Seven
As well as winning the European Under-21 Championship, Stevens lifted the Uefa Cup with Tottenham in the same season, scoring a penalty in the shootout against Anderlecht in the second leg of the 1984 final. He went on to play for England at the 1986 World Cup, before leaving Tottenham in 1990 for Portsmouth. He managed in non-league and Thailand and had coaching spells in Azerbaijan and the Republic of Ireland.
Nigel Callaghan – Watford midfielder
Senior caps: None
Callaghan played for Derby and Aston Villa after leaving Watford and retired at the age of 30. He went to Corfu to DJ before returning home. In 2019 he told the Guardian “financially I made nothing out of football”.
Steve Hodge – Nottingham Forest midfielder
Senior caps: 24
Hodge went to two World Cups with England and played for Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa, Leeds and Tottenham, among others. He appeared in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final against Argentina in Mexico, and sold the shirt Diego Maradona scored the ‘Hand of God’ goal in for £7.1m last year.
Kevin Brock – Oxford United midfielder
Senior caps: None
Brock had just helped Oxford win the Third Division title before the tournament. He went on to help the U’s win the Second Division and League Cup in the following two seasons. Brock played for QPR and Newcastle too, and managed several non-league teams.
Howard Gayle – Birmingham striker
Senior caps: None
Gayle, who scored in the second leg of the final, left Birmingham soon after winning the Euros and played for Sunderland, Stoke, Blackburn and Halifax. But it was a career which never hit the heights expected when he became the first black footballer to play for Liverpool. He turned down an MBE nomination in 2016, saying it would be “a betrayal” to Africans who suffered under the British Empire.
Mark Hateley – Portsmouth striker
Senior caps: 32
Hateley – who also scored in the second leg – enjoyed the best career of anyone in that team, with most of his success coming outside England. He joined AC Milan soon after the Euros, won Ligue 1 with Monaco, and six league titles in Scotland with Rangers. Hateley scored nine goals for England in his 32 senior caps, and played at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. He also had a spell as Hull player-manager.
Mich d’Avray – Ipswich striker
Senior caps: None
South Africa-born D’Avray spent most of his career with Ipswich before retiring in 1992 after a season in the Netherlands. He has managed several South African teams and Australia’s Perth Glory.
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