Terry Venables has been remembered with an emotional tribute ahead of England’s friendly against Brazil on Saturday evening.
The match is the first time the Three Lions have played since the death of their former manager in November at the age of 80, and fans gathered for a moment’s applause, as well as loudly singing the praises of Venables, who led England from 1994 to 1996, finishing with the run to the Euro 96 semi-finals.
Venables is also on the cover of the matchday programme, and current England boss Gareth Southgate has recalled his experiences with his old manager in his notes.
Wembley is hosting Venables’ family as well for a night of tributes to the former England boss, as well as relatives of his chief scout Ted Buxton, who died in February.
There are also members of Venables’ Euro 96 squad at the North-West London venue to mark the achievements of the ex-England gaffer.
Terry Venables has been remembered with an emotional tribute ahead of the Brazil game
It is England’s first match since the death of Venables at the end of November at the age of 80
The former England manager also features on the cover of the matchday programme
There was also a short video remembering some of the highlights of the England career of Venables, similar to the tribute made for Sir Bobby Charlton which was aired before the Three Lions game against Malta late last year.
The news of the tribute was confirmed earlier this month.
Venables won two England caps as a player, earning him the legacy number 830, but he is remembered most for his time in charge between 1994 and 1996.
After inheriting a side that failed to qualify for the World Cup, he oversaw an unforgettable run to the Euro 96 semi-finals on home turf, which ended in the agony of a penalty shootout loss to eventual winners Germany.
Southgate was the player who missed the crucial penalty that evening, but Venables was one of the first to console him after the moment.
Venables, who made more than 500 appearances for Chelsea, Tottenham, QPR and Crystal Palace, passed away in late November following a long illness.
The following month, Chelsea put Venables on the cover of their matchday programme for the match against Brighton, as they reflected upon his contribution to the club.
Venables led England – including Alan Shearer and Paul Gascoigne – to the semis of Euro 96
Chelsea paid tribute to Venables in their matchday programme for the game against Brighton
There were other tributes around English football grounds, including at Tottenham, while Spanish newspapers also paid tribute to Venables, who won LaLiga with Barcelona in 1985.
Mundo Deportivo and Sport printed large pictures of Venables on their back pages for their Monday editions with both captioning the pictures: ‘Adios, mister’.
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