WITH less than two months to go until the start of the World Cup in Qatar, many England fans – buoyed by their team’s runner-up finish at last year’s European Championships – are hoping the Three Lions can go one step further and win international football’s biggest prize in the Middle East.

The only time England won the World Cup was on home soil back in July 1966. Since then, they have sputtered at the quadrennial tournament, although manager Gareth Southgate did lead them to fourth place at the last edition in France 4 years ago.

One former England striker who is hoping for an end to that frustrating 56-year drought is Teddy Sheringham, who was just 17 weeks old when a star-studded team featuring the likes of Gordon Banks, Bobby Charlton and Geoff Hurst mesmerised the nation en route to lifting the Jules Rimet trophy at Wembley.

“We had a fantastic chance at Euro 2020, with the home crowd cheering us on. Now we are going to play away in Qatar, it will be very difficult,” said Sheringham. “We can’t expect to win it, we can just hope to win.”

Sheringham played 51 times for his country and scored 11 goals. He was in the squad for the 1998 and 2002 World Cups, as well as the European Championships in 1996 that England hosted.

Two of his former clubs – Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United in the English Premier League – are involved in this weekend’s most explosive fixtures. Tottenham play their North London rivals Arsenal on Saturday (7.30 pm kickoff, Singapore time), while the Manchester derby takes place a day later at 9 pm.  

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Sheringham retired in 2008 after a 24-year career. He played two stints for Tottenham, scoring 124 goals in 277 matches in total. While wearing the famous red jersey of Manchester United, he scored in the FA Cup and European Cup finals in 1999 as the Red Devils went on to secure an unprecedented treble of trophies.

Sheringham was in Singapore recently to take part in the AIA Better Lives Fund charity golf event and dinner held at Tanah Merah Country Club, which raised more than S$370,000. The money went to AIA’s adopted charities – Children’s Wishing Well and VIVA Foundation for Children with Cancer, as well as the Garden City Fund. AIA is the global principal partner of Tottenham.

Over breakfast at the Fairmont Singapore hotel, Sheringham spoke candidly about England’s chances at the World Cup, Tottenham’s big match against Arsenal this weekend, and his love for golf. This is an edited excerpt of the lively 30-minute interview.

After 56 long years, do you feel England has a serious chance of winning the World Cup in December?

We had a fantastic chance at Euro 2020, with the home crowd cheering us on. There’s always that distinct advantage of playing at home, because you know the style of the football pitches and everything else. Now we are going to play away in Qatar, it will be very difficult.

But I feel we’re in a good place at the moment. Southgate has been the manager for a long time (since 2016), and the players know his philosophy and how they are meant to be playing.

Of course, all the big nations will be expecting to win the World Cup. We are still hoping, because we’ve not done so for 56 years. England can’t expect to win, but we just hope to win.

That said, after the strong performance at Euro 2020, the pressure is back on the team once again. Everyone in England now feels they can go on and win the World Cup. It won’t be easy, but I feel we are in a good position. 

You’ve played in two World Cups. What was that experience like?

Having watched the World Cup every four years as a kid, you always hope that you will get to be involved one day. And then, there you are, lining up on the field, hearing the National Anthem being played, looking around the stadium and feeling just thrilled to be part of it.

With the World Cup taking place in the middle of the European season for the first time, rather than at the end, could we expect to see better performances from the players?

I don’t think the timing of the tournament matters. All of these boys are professionals, and they are extremely fit. It doesn’t matter when the games are played.

Southgate has a different vibe (from previous England managers), and that is to control the ball (and possession) and enjoy the game. We’ve got to keep the ball well. If you don’t do that, you will eventually get tired. That’s what the top football nations do – they keep the ball, make their opponents run around, and wear them out.

How do you see Spurs faring against Arsenal on Saturday? 

I like how Tottenham look at the moment, I really do. Arsenal are playing some good football as well, and it’s a fantastic fixture to have so early in the season. 

It’s a big test for both teams, and it’s very unusual that both are in the top three and firing on all cylinders. I would say anyone can win. Arsenal probably have more flair, but Tottenham, hopefully, have a newfound resilience. 

Hopefully it will be a passionate affair, because that’s why people tune into the Premier League from all over the world. They want to see that fire in the players’ bellies. (Tottenham manager Antonio) Conte definitely has that, and so does (Arsenal manager Mikel) Arteta.

Arsenal, a team that came in fifth last season, are now top of the league.

Well, they played against Manchester United (on Sep 4) and lost. But every other game where they were expected to win, they’ve won. I have about 12 friends in a Whatsapp group, and four or five of them are Arsenal fans, but they’re still so pessimistic. I tell them, your team is top of the table and things are looking good, and they should enjoy it. Arsenal are in a great position at the moment.

You’re an avid golfer. How often do you play?

Quite a bit, really. I play 18 holes two or three times a week, and then my weekends are reserved for the family. I have young kids, so during the week (my wife and I) take them to school, and then I go and play golf. 

Besides golf, what else do you do to stay fit? You look like you haven’t put on a pound since you retired in 2008.

I played professionally until I was 42 years old. My dad was a very lean man back in his day, very fit. He played a lot of football, squash and tennis. He’s 83 now, and I’m lucky I’ve got his genes, and hopefully that will continue. 

I don’t really have any secret to staying fit. When I was playing for West Ham (from 2004 to 2007), I had friends who would come to my flat to eat, and they expect that I’m on some fantastic diet and I only eat fish or pasta. But they open the fridge and cupboard and they see chocolate, crisps and beer (laughs).

I’m quite fortunate that I didn’t really have to watch what I ate, even as a professional player. I was always very fussy about my food as a kid, and that’s the way I carried on throughout my life.