Needless to say, the only England player who scored in yet another traumatic penalty shoot-out had learned to keep his nerve from 12 yards in German football.
Owen Hargreaves was voted the Three Lions’ player of the year in 2006, when he was at the peak of his powers as a midfield linchpin with Bayern Munich.
The fall-out from England’s World Cup quarter-final exit against Portugal 14 years ago was mainly focused on Wayne Rooney’s red card and Cristiano Ronaldo ’s wink.
But it was also a showcase for Hargreaves’ good habits – unfussy, neat in possession and industrious off the ball – all of them traits straight from the Bundesliga textbook. “As a learning ground, Bayern Munich ticked every box,” Hargreaves said. “And the Bundesliga is