Twenty-eight years after the anguish of Saint-Etienne, Alan Shearer still feels the sting of that penalty shootout defeat to Argentina. But as England prepare for Wednesday's World Cup semi-final in Atlanta (20:00 BST), the former captain believes this generation can rewrite history.
"I can still picture their players dancing and celebrating next to us as both teams waited to get on their buses," Shearer told BBC Sport. "We had come so close to beating them, but we fell on the wrong side of a penalty shootout, and we were going home."
“England face Argentina in World Cup semi-final 28 years after 1998 heartbreak; Shearer urges them to seize their chance.”
Shearer captained the side in 1998, a night defined by Michael Owen's wonder goal, David Beckham's red card for kicking Diego Simeone, and Sol Campbell's disallowed goal. England played 75 minutes with 10 men before losing on penalties. Now, with a place in the final at stake, Shearer sees an opportunity he knows all too well.
"They are two wins away from immortality," he said. "The fact it is Argentina we face again first just adds more spice to an already incredible occasion."
Standing in England's way is Lionel Messi — "arguably the greatest player of all time, who has never faced England before," Shearer noted. But he is confident: "I definitely think we can win it... it does not really matter how."
Shearer warned that tempers could boil over again. "I would not be surprised at all if we saw another red card this time too, but I am slightly concerned where the refereeing will be at, and how VAR might impact us," he said.
Beckham, the central figure of that 1998 flashpoint, has long since made peace with Simeone. After Argentina won the 2022 World Cup final, Beckham shared a photo on Instagram with the caption "Congratulations my friend." Simeone replied, "Good to see you always!" Beckham, now a club owner with Inter Miami, also reflects on the red card in his Netflix documentary.
"I made a stupid mistake. It changed my life. I felt very vulnerable and alone," Beckham said. "The whole country hated me. Hated me." He added: "I wasn't eating. I wasn't sleeping. I was a mess."
England will have to channel that history without being consumed by it. Spain await the winners after beating France 2-0 in the other semi-final, offering England a chance at redemption on the grandest stage — and a shot at the immortality Shearer spoke of.