If ever there were a moment for sporting triumph to prompt an economic feelgood factor it was when Geoff Hurst raced through in the final seconds to seal England’s 4-2 victory. Terry Butcher, left, consoles Paul Gascoine after England’s 1990 World Cup semi-final loss to Germany. There was no boost to the economy when England made it to the semi-finals of the World Cup in 1990 because household budgets were being squeezed by a 15% interest rate. Success at football was not necessary to generate a feelgood factor because the state of the economy meant there was one anyway. That trend will continue over the coming months whether or not Harry Kane becomes the first England football captain to lift a major trophy since Bobby Moore in 1966.

Source: The Guardian July 10, 2021 04:52 UTC