Proud to Be English!

"There is something about the English that is remarkable: their courage, their endurance, their love of liberty, and their pride in being English." - Winston Churchill

English football coach Emma Hayes' on her first return to England, as the now USA coach for a friendly match on the 30th November 2024, at Wembley (that ended 0-0), was asked whether she sang ‘God Save The King’ as well as ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ ahead of kick-off at Wembley, Hayes replied: “I was definitely mouthing the [English] national anthem. I was struggling with where to be in all of that. I got to the end of the anthems, and I thought: it’s so ridiculous. I’m proud to be English, and I’m proud of our national anthems. I’ve sung it since I was a kid."

England rugby star Owen Farrell after the unfortunate 15-16 loss to South Africa in the semi-final of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, stated: "I am massively proud of how we have built, the support has built over the World Cup, and that performance shows how proud we are to be English and to wear this shirt. I think we have made a start of going forward, and there is a lot to come from this group."

YouTuber Carl Benjamin addressed the controversy of interviewing Liz Truss once in his podcast. He said, “We are guilty of interviewing the former Prime Minister; that was my crime. That’s why I’m in trouble. But I stand today as a husband, a father, an Englishman. And I can see today that we are still alive. But by god, we wouldn’t know it if we looked at the TV, would you? Where is your representation? We have real problems. None of the mainstream parties are going to solve these problems. We have to do it ourselves, and we will. You have to remember your dignity as an Englishman and woman is on the line. Be worthy of the respect of our glorious, victorious ancestors; they are watching; they want us to win. We have to win for our children; there is no stepping backwards or apologies.”

The incredible achievements of ex-Arsenal and England footballer Sol Campbell (and of a Black person who doesn't deflect from calling himself English instead of British!) He once wrote on his Instagram account:

I’ve seen a lot of people get MBEs, OBEs, [and] Sir's for services to sport, [and] I will put my name down for reasons why.

First, the 56 [Premier League] games without losing is an [individual] record.

Two, invincible Arsenal teams, 49 games without losing, [are] a record.

Three, first Black player to score in the World Cup for England.

Four, first Black captain to lift a cup at Wembley

Five, the first Black English-speaking player to score in a Champions League final.

Six, I played two decades and over 500 games in the Premier League.

Seven, I stood up for racism in football here and abroad.

Eight, [I'm the] only English player to play in six consecutive tournaments for England.

Nine, I got into the World Cup best team [in both] 1998 and 2002 and one European team [in] 2004, so at one stage I was pound-for-pound the best defender in the world—how many Englishmen can say that?

I had a charity called 'Kids Goes Live' that took school children from underprivileged backgrounds to watch live sporting events! I challenge anyone who says I don’t deserve it. It will be silent out there. 

Sam Tomkins for England in the Rugby League World Cup 2021 (because of coronavirus it was played in 2022, 15 October to 19 November). Asked what a home World Cup means to him, captain Sam Tomkins stated, "It means everything. I am proud to be English, very proud to put on the jersey, and for us to host it in front of our own people is a massive opportunity for us as players with a wider view to grow the sport in the country. Hopefully a successful England team can be the catalyst for that."

Actor Paul Duggan on being proud of his Yorkshire and English roots: "In my case it does. I have a daughter that is not white. Well, not as white as me. No one should question my daughter's or her mother's right to be called English. We are proud of our county, Yorkshire. And proud of our country, England. And proud of our family, UK. If a white person moves to Britain and has children in England. Those children are English. That's me. I am English. I am white. Should I say sorry for things that happened before my family moved here? What if a Black family moved here at the same time as my family? Had children. They are as English as me. Do you want me to say sorry because of the color of my skin? Isn't that somewhat racist????"

Tennis player Emma Raducanu. Her father is Romanian, her mother Chinese. She was born in Canada but raised in Bromley, England (since age 2). And she speaks with an English accent. Yet ahead of the England men's Euro 2024 last-16 football match with Slovakia in June 2024, Emma was seen proudly practicing in the England shirt all week before her first-round match at Wimbledon.

Former boxer Chris Eubank, following in his father's pride at being called English—although Chris himself always dressed and acted like the perfect Englishman—now wants to be called 'English,' mainly to avoid confusion with his boxing son of the same name, Chris Eubank Jr. He told Sky Sports: "It's not that I want to be known as 'English' - it's just that it's easier to call me that because Junior, when people call him 'Chris,' I look because I don't know who they're referring to. 'Senior' is a name given to Floyd Mayweather Sr. 'English' may be easier. Plus, it was my father's nickname. He loved everything English, and now I'm going to carry on the tradition."

Boxer Tyson Fury on his passionate English identity. Fury once told UK radio station Talksport that he would be willing to join the fight in Ukraine like his boxing counterparts. Vladmir, the younger Klitschko, signed up in Ukraine’s reserve army a few months before the invasion of his country. His brother Vitali, mayor of Kyiv, has also stated that he will join the fight. Tyson said:

“I’ll be the first one to join up if England gets involved. Or America. I’ll be first in line for the job. My dad will as well, and all the boys. We’ll all be signing up to defend. So that’s all I’ve got to say. I think if you’re from that country and living there, defend her. Love your woman and fight for your country. That’s what I say.”

In fact, he also celebrated St. George's Day with a mock throne and English matching robe and gloves on his fight on April 23rd, 2022, vs. Dillian Whyte.

It flies the English flag in the face of those that talk about his Irish ancestry. One poster on a website stated, "He’s not of 100% Irish blood. It’s all an exaggeration. All of his immediate family are English, his gran included, and he has English Romany roots too.".

Shaun Wane, England Rugby League coach (since 2020), is looking to England's tournament in 2026. “This job is the pinnacle for me,” he says. “I’m very patriotic, a very proud Englishman. When I got the call saying I’d got it, there was no prouder man in this country—and I still feel the same way."

England on her mind! Roberto Mancini, coach of the Italian national football team at the time, when his mother, Marianna Puolo, reacted bizarrely to Italy's loss 0-1 to North Macedonia (play-off semi-final, 24th March 2022), which meant they wouldn't be at the World Cup 2022:

“Macedonia only had one shot; maybe Donnarumma could’ve saved it, but it’s useless to talk about it now. This squad hasn’t lost the magic of the European Championship, but perhaps some were afraid of making mistakes. Yesterday, I think the ones who celebrated the most were the English.”

LOL — which makes her remark even more bizarre and funny and curiously peculiar, because England was not in Italy's qualifying group and won theirs outright, whereas Italy finished 2nd and had to enter the playoffs.

Anonymous appreciation: "Speaking as a Russian, I always thought highly of English culture. It’s truly special and has made immeasurable contributions to the modern world. And I am worried about watering down of what England is. You need to fight the forces within that try to erase you, not Russia.

Anonymous Patriot: The English have built, led, and inspired the world for centuries. From law and democracy to industry and literature, our influence is unmatched. We don’t need to apologize for our history—we should own it with pride. If others want to tear us down, that’s their problem. England stands strong, and we always will!