It was something Lucy Bronze said as she walked towards the stadium exit, blood seeping through one her socks, which most resonated about this England team, now standing on the brink of history.
Had she ever watched any World Cup finals? Bronze was asked. ‘No,’ she replied. ‘I was playing outside.’ And she wasn’t the only one. Jess Carter, the defender who has been an unexpected pillar of the team, gave the exact same answer to the same question. ‘I was probably out playing football, more than I was watching it.’
There will be much talk of 1966 and all that in the days before Sunday but Wembley, Hurst and the frustrated attempts to emulate them are not a reference point for these players, who have done what they have done, reached the peak of a World Cup final without the motivation of seeing individuals like themselves reflected back from a TV screen.