England win Euro 2022: The Queen leads tributes to Lionesses

Former England and Arsenal defender Alex Scott was highly emotional on BBC One after the final whistle.

“So many people have been involved to get women’s football to this point, to see this trophy,” she said. “This is what we’ve all been dreaming of, the amount of investment in the game to get us to this point.

“This moment reminds me of the 1999 Women’s World Cup when USA won that. It changed the face of soccer in America forever. I feel this is a moment in England. This is the moment.”

The final was watched by 87,192 people at Wembley – a record for a Euros game in men’s or women’s football.

The Women’s Euros attendance record had also been broken in the opening game at Old Trafford, with 68,871 watching England beat Austria 1-0.

In total, 574,875 people watched Euro 2022 – more than twice the previous record.

Seven of the top Women’s Euros attendances have been this summer – also at the home grounds of Southampton, Brighton, Sheffield United and MK Dons.

“Back in 2018 we were begging people to host the Euros games in their stadiums,” continued Scott. “So many people said no. I hope they’re looking at themselves and thinking they weren’t brave enough.

“I’m not standing up at corporate events begging for them to get involved in the women’s game. If you’re not involved, you’ve missed the boat. You’ve missed the train, it’s finally left the station, it’s gathering speed.”

Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall praised Sarina Wiegman’s role in England’s triumph.

“It comes to clearness and communication,” he said in his role as a BBC pundit. “I spoke to some of my players before the Euros. Sarina had one-to-one talks with each of them – ‘I see you as a starter, I see you as an impact player’.

“They knew before they were coming in what was expected of them. Once I heard that I immediately had a feeling this is going to be a great Euros for England – they won’t waste energy on those conversations when they’re in the tournament.”

Former keeper Rachel Brown-Finnis, who played with Scott in England’s last final – a 6-2 defeat to Germany at the 2009 Euros – added: “I’m tearful with joy. All the years of players promoting the sport, giving a professional persona when you weren’t getting paid,

“Today has made everything worthwhile. Well done England, the world is proud of you.”