HARGREAVES - MR STRONG FOR BAYERN
However, events during Wednesday night's Champions League semi-final in the Olympiastadion in Munich may go some way to erasing the footballing tension between the two nations. Bavarian giants Bayern Munich cruised past holders and tournament favourites Real Madrid with a young Englishman at the helm, a certain Owen Hargreaves.
The fact that Hargreaves had not even featured in a single professional match before this season did not stop him from confidently bossing a midfield against the might of Claude Makelele, Ivan Helguera, Luis Figo and Steve McManaman on Wednesday.
Stepping into the boots of suspended captain and Munich's inspiration Stefan Effenberg, Hargreaves looked completely at ease. He went in for nine tackles and won the ball in six of them. Indeed, combined with the challenges that Hargreaves made in his previous appearances in Europe's premier club competition, the youngster has gone in for a tackle every 11 minutes on average - more frequently than anyone else in the tournament.
Hargreaves was also given the opportunity to show off his ability on the ball. He found a colleague with 71% of his passes when moving forward into Real's half, which is a better proportion than Effenberg has managed in Europe this term.
Moreover, Hargreaves was not afraid to dig in when Real pressed forward, making eight clearances, blocks and interceptions to help the German side through to the final in Milan later this month.
It was the pinnacle of what has already been a landmark season for the 20-year-old, who has gone from Bayern's reserve side to star in their run to the Champions League Final and quest for a third successive Bundesliga title. He has also earned two England under-21 caps, having featured in the friendlies against Spain and Georgia.
His team-mates have clearly been impressed. German international Mehmet Scholl claims that Hargreaves is a more accomplished performer than he was at that age, while club president Franz Beckenbauer stated after the semi-final "I didn't think he would be so cool and self-confident". Vice president and German legend Karl Heinz Rummenigge went so far as to say that Hargreaves was "The future of FC Bayern".
Small wonder then that so many countries have been vying for his signature. Hargreaves's mother is Welsh and he trained with Wales under-21's for two years before he learned of England's (his father's homeland) interest and defected accordingly. He is also qualified to play for both Canada and Germany, having lived in both countries for a number of years.
Until Hargreaves actually plays a competitive game for England, he will remain available to choose between any of those nations. After Wednesday night's performance, his chances of starting the upcoming under-21 qualifier against Greece - which would tie him to England - must have increased drastically.
