The definitive, behind-the-scenes account of England's journey from no-hopers to genuine contenders

Under the stewardship of Gareth Southgate and captained by Harry Kane, England will arrive in Germany as favourites to win Euro 2024 and finally end all those trophy-less years of hurt. It's taken for granted that England are now considered serious challengers at major football tournaments but prior to Southgate, this wasn't the case. 'Golden Generations' came and went, with club rivalries and big egos ensuring that England camps had a fractured, toxic atmosphere where performances on the pitch paled in comparison to their club successes. So, how did we get here?

Dear England: The Real Story Behind the Three Lions Rebirth delves in Southgate's turbulent journey to being appointed England manager and emerging as a waistcoated cult figure, to becoming the country's most successful manager since Sir Alf Ramsey and forging a new kind of patriotism for the 2020s. Award-winning football writers Jonathan Northcroft and Rob Draper have had extraordinary access to the England team during Southgate's tenure and take us behind the scenes as they interview key backroom staff and players, including Harry Kane, Jordan Pickford, John Stones, Harry Maguire, Phil Foden, Gary Neville and Dan Ashworth, to give the complete account of the highs and lows of Southgate's reign.

As much a tale off the pitch as it is on it, this is an emotional journey of national healing but also a cerebral deconstruction of how to transform a failing corporate culture and empower young people to write their own history. For the first time, this is the real story of how Southgate emerged as a key leader in a fractured political epoch and of how England learned to understand itself.