England out of the World Cup, but this team may have helped redefine a nation

LOUGHBOROUGH (UK): (Jul 16) The football World Cup is often seen as an opportunity to bring different groups within a nation together as they celebrate their team’s achievements. And while the performance of the England side’s young and dynamic squad may not have taken them to the final, there remains something to celebrate.

Thomas Tuchel’s squad has offered a vision of England that stands in stark contrast to Downton Abbey-type cultural representations that often feel nostalgic and parochial. And it challenges, head on, claims that have been made recently regarding Englishness and ethnicity.

Selected by a German manager, the 26-man squad featured 20 players who had the option to play for another country. This is because the heritage rules of football’s governing body Fifa allow players to represent the nation of their parents’ or grandparents’ birth.