EXCLUSIVETEDDY SHERINGHAM INTERVIEW: Hero of England's 4-1 win against the Netherlands at Euro 96 talks over the nation's greatest ever tournament display... and explains why he's still backing Harry Kane

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Over a 24-year career in which he played nearly a thousand games for several clubs including Manchester United and Tottenham, Teddy Sheringham could be hard on himself.

Elation at goals and victories were often short-lived as post-match analysis made him think there were things he could have done better.

But there is one honourable exception, England's iconic 4-1 win against Holland on a warm June evening at Euro 96.

Sheringham scored twice and set up another with a no-look assist in one of the most-acclaimed performances ever given by The Three Lions.

'No over-complicated thinking was needed after that game,' he smiles. 'I knew I'd played great and I knew the whole team had been fantastic. In that sense, it was the best match I ever played in.'

Teddy Sheringham scored twice in England's 4-1 win against the Netherlands at Euro 96

The victory remains one of the most acclaimed performances in the history of the Three Lions

If Jude Bellingham or Harry Kane feels the same way on Wednesday night following their semi-final rematch with the Dutch, Gareth Southgate will be able to celebrate again.

Those England fans over the age of 35 descending on Dortmund this week will remember with huge fondness the long, hot summer of '96.

Cool Britannia ruled the waves with Lady Di, Blur versus Oasis and a new anthem for fans, Football's Coming Home.

The pinnacle for many was England's dismantling of Holland. The Dutch were viewed as the most sophisticated team in Europe whilst England had been derided as being from the dark ages after failing to qualify for the World Cup.

All those stereotypes were banished as Gazza ran riot and Alan Shearer scored twice alongside man-of-the-match Sheringham. It breathed new confidence into English players that is still felt today, the baton for creativity being passed on to Paul Scholes, Wayne Rooney and most recently, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer.

Sheringham pounced on a rebound to score England's fourth goal (pictured) at Wembley

'Our manager Terry Venables loved Dutch football. He talked about them a lot in the months building up to the finals. We'd be sat down to watch videos to study the movement of their players like Dennis Bergkamp,' revealed Sheringham.

'We hadn't always had coaches in England like Terry, who was the best I worked with. He wanted us to be tactically flexible, create space, put a premium on technical skill, looking after the ball for your mate.

'To then come up against the Dutch in an important game and beat them well was special. Terry told us in the dressing-room we had better individual players and that if we worked as a unit, we'd win.

'It gave us huge belief and on the night we really flowed. There was dew on the pitch, the ball was zipping off it and we played some great stuff.

'I wasn't Bergkamp, I had my own style, and I played to suit our team. Our midfield players Gazza and Paul Ince liked to break forward and there was responsibility for me to score goals as well because apart from Shearer, we didn't have a lot of goalscorers.

'The sense of satisfaction when we walked off was immense because of the opposition. Holland set the standards.

The pinnacle of the long, hot summer of '96 was arguably the dismantling of the Netherlands

'Our team had a bit of everything. Solid in the middle, flair on the wings. When I looked around the dressing-room and saw the likes of David Seaman, Tony Adams, Alan Shearer, Darren Anderton, it was a case of "I'm glad they're on my team". Just what you want going into battle.'

England and Holland went into their final group game knowing the winners would guarantee qualification for the knockout stages.

Besides the talismanic Bergkamp who was lighting up the Premier League with Arsenal, Netherlands had seven players including Clarence Seedorf and Patrick Kluivert who had won the Champions League the previous year with Ajax.

Venables was famed for his tactical flexibility. Against Holland he opted for a flat back-four and Steve McManaman, the Bukayo Saka of his day used during the tournament as both a winger and wing-back, was asked to push up closer to Shearer and Sheringham.

It was Sheringham's pass to McManaman which started the move for the opening goal after 23 minutes. Ince did a Cruyff turn – ironic as Johan's son Jordi was in the Holland side – to win a penalty converted by Shearer.

Sheringham beat Aaron Winter in the air to head Paul Gascoigne's goal for number two and then set up a third that left TV co-commentator Kevin Keegan purring: 'You will not see a better team goal'.

Sheringham hailed Terry Venables (centre) as the 'best' coach he worked with in his career

The shift in momentum for the Three Lions at Euro 96 shares similarities to this summer

Gazza followed a trademark dribble into the penalty area by cutting back to Sheringham. He shaped to shoot but instead fooled the Dutch defence by rolling a pass first-time for Shearer to hammer home.

'People have always asked me why I passed,' admits Sheringham. 'The truth is I thought I had a 60 per cent chance of scoring but if I gave the ball to Alan, that went up to nearly 100 per cent. So that's what I did. '

Sheringham did add a fourth when his best friend in the squad Anderton had a shot parried by Edwin van der Sar and he sniffed out the rebound. Kluivert's late reply off the bench allowed Holland to pip Scotland as group runners-up on goal difference.

The shift in momentum for England during Euro 96 has strong similarities to what has happened in Germany this summer.

Venables' team had faced criticism before the tournament after pictures emerged of a riotous night out in Hong Kong.

They were also sluggish in their opening games against Switzerland and Scotland before Gazza produced his own Jude Bellingham overhead kick moment with a brilliant solo goal that changed the mood ahead of facing Holland.

The squad never cracked under pressure and that will have been noted by Gareth Southgate

Throughout, a huge squad togetherness never cracked under pressure, something that will have been noted by one of the its younger members, Gareth Southgate.

'I was close to Gareth. Our parents had got along well watching us play in games around the world,' recalls Sheringham.

'Gareth was a bit different to your normal footballer from that generation, he didn't want to go out and get drunk like a lot of us.

'But he was comfortable in his surroundings and part of our fourball card school, playing a game called Hearts with myself, Tony Adams and Stuart Pearce. Not for cash I might add, maybe the odd tea cake!

'Gareth was a bit more rounded in life, he studied the game as he went along and I wasn't surprised when he became a manager.'

Southgate, grounded as a player, has steered England into the semi-finals at Euro 2024 

He has a big decision to make over Harry Kane with the striker criticised for his displays

Ironically, Southgate now has a big decision to make about his centre-forward Harry Kane that Venables, who sadly passed away last year aged 80, faced with Shearer.

'Alan hadn't scored in 12 games before the finals and there was pressure on Terry to make a change particularly as we had a golden generation of strikers,' recalls Sheringham.

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'Terry didn't waver and of course it paid off because Alan won the Golden Boot. I'm seeing criticism of Harry at the moment but he's a quality player, the best No 9 in world football, and I think he's doing what the manager is asking of him with the positions he's taking up.

'Where he's suffering is not having the runners from midfield go past him. I hope Gareth sticks with him.'

Sheringham watched the quarter-final penalty shoot-out against Switzerland in Marbella but is home for the semi-final against Netherlands.

'I'd love to see Phil Foden or Jude or Harry step up to the occasion and have that big impact,' he says.

'What I remember about our game against Holland is the whole nation taking off afterwards. People still tell me Euro 96 was their favourite time.

'But we lost on penalties to Germany in the semi-final so at the end of it we were still "only" close to winning. This England team still have that chance to being heroes for the rest of their lives like the boys of 1966.'