The Lionesses wear their Englishness with pride and in doing so they take us all with them - Carole Malone

And I cried not just because it clinched the European Championship title for the second time in a row - but because every woman on that pitch had fought - yes, like Lionesses - to the end. They didn’t give up. Not for a second. In fact, they fought literally up to the last second.

Hell, England defender Lucy Bronze played the entire championship with a fractured tibia.

That’s a whole new brand of guts.

But what is it that gives these Wonder Women their superhuman powers on the pitch? What is it that gives the kind of determination we no longer see among England’s male players?

Because they aren’t motivated by fame or big money salaries. Maybe what separates them from the men is that they’re motivated (and angered) by decades of prejudice that in the past - and often, even now – has put them second to the male players.

Even having won the Euro championship against Germany in 2022 it’s like they still have something to prove – to football organisations, to the mainstream media, to those die-hard supporters of the male game.

And they have to prove it every second they’re on the pitch. Every free kick they take.

Every goal they stop. There’s still this narrative “Well, Yes, they’re good but they’re not as good as the men.”

But time and again they’ve proved that in terms of winning championships they’re a damn sight better than the men. Streets ahead of them in fact.

And while I’m sure the thrill of winning motivates them, I think their biggest motivator is pride – pride to play for the country they love and are honoured to represent.

Seconds after scoring that winning goal Chloe Kelly sshouted: I’m proud to be English. I’m so proud to wear this badge.”

As did goalie, Hannah Hampton: “We’ve got that grit, that English blood in us, she screamed. “We never say die.”

Did you ever hear male English footballers talk with that kind of passion about their country?

Did you ever hear them talk about how proud they are to be British and to represent their country. If they have it’s been in a low, lukewarm voice.

In fact, the times people are able to talk publicly about being patriotic and proud are getting less and less.

We now live in a time when the liberal elites tell us that if we dare say we’re proud of our country we’re racist, nationalistic, a colonialist.

We’re told by these same elites there’s nothing to be proud of in Britain - its past or its present. And far from being proud of it we should constantly apologise for it, hang our heads in shame.

But the Lionesses have said sod that!! They shout how proud they are of England and everything it represents and say they’ll fight for it till they drop.

And they bloody well did.

These girls wear their patriotism with pride and in doing do they take us all with them.

The Lionesses have made patriotism fashionable again. Just look at the thousands of fans festooned in St George flags.

Look at them proudly sporting England badges and T-shirts in that Basel stadium - and all over this country. Just listen to them all screaming and chanting for these girls - and for England.

What we saw on Sunday night was patriotism writ large and no one dare criticise it.

Because to do so would be criticise the valour, the guts, the sheer determination of these girls – the very traits that have distinguished this nation for decades.

And watching them play on Sunday night – not for a second giving up against Spain, the team that was favourite to win - made us all proud to be British.

And yes, the media have gone mad. Endless pages telling us how brilliant and wonderful and gutsy these women are, how they’ve made history and how this was the nation’s first Trophy win abroad.

But I’ve been monitoring the coverage of the Lionesses last week, and even when the girls won their semi-final match against Italy, some newspapers gave them scant coverage in the main body of the paper.

It was like they’d already written them off. They saw how the match against Italy had gone to penalties and assumed - because in the men’s championships it’s what always happens –they’d never make it to the final.

I’ve always found it odd that on the rare occasions the England men’s team gets close to even the quarter final of anything, which let’s face it isn’t often, the media goes mad.

It's wall-to-wall coverage of what could happen, what might happen. Victory is dangled before us like a carrot. We’re persuaded that this time it’s actually going to happen. Only it never does happen.

But with the women’s game, they have to win a championship, not just perform in it, to get media praise and recognition.

This is a travesty considering that these women have brought the European Cup home not once but twice. They’ve never let us down yet still they have to fight for acceptance as the fantastic players they are.

And why, even now, with their victories, are they still being paid peanuts compared to the blokes?

England’s federation received just over €2million when the Lionesses lifted Euro ‘22, but the Euro 2025 champions take home up to €5.1million, and when performance bonuses are added on top of a base participation fee of €1.8m is awarded to all teams at the tournament.

Compare that to the total prize money at the men’s Euro 2024. It was €331million, with the champions, Spain, winning a maximum of €28.25million.

The participation prize money for all 24 teams at the men’s Euros was €9.25m

How the hell is that fair when the women are winning by playing spectacular football and the men are not.

And how is it fair that England’s Internationals playing in the Women’s Super League can get annual salaries in the low six figures, while top England internationals in the Premier League earn double that in ONE week?

That has to change. The Lionesses have earned the right for the prejudices against them to be consigned to history.

Because this weekend, they made history.

As Chloe Kelly said: “This team is made of magic and of steel. We are history makers once again.”

Yes, they damn well are. And it’s time Britain’s football bodies rewarded these women who always make us proud to be British in a way our pampered male footballers haven’t for decades.