Sir Geoff Hurst is bedecked with a German scarf on the front of today's Sun newspaper, which proclaims "shock as hero backs old foe" ahead of Euro 2008, which kicks off today without a team of plucky but doomed no-hopers from these fair shores.
There was some shock here at Guardian Towers as it was only last week that Sir Geoff made a video for the Guardian's "okay there's no home countries so who should we support?" series, backing the Dutch.
Hurst, whose hat-trick fired England to victory against West Germany in the 1966 World Cup final, told theguardian.com viewers that the Netherlands were marvelous at football. "They are a fantastic team to watch. They have a great philosophy and a great technique," he says, before reeling off famous names like Dennis Bergkamp and Marco Van Basten.
And yet today, it is the Germans who are recipients of Sir Geoff's affections - and more than that, he sees a lot of comparisons between the Germans and England. "Whether some people care to admit it, they are very much like us - determined, strong and proud ... in footballing terms they're like us too. Except they can take penalties."
Sir Geoff - who is perhaps showing the kind of accommodating approach to the media that could raise a smile out of Pelé - finishes with a rallying: "Until we can renew our healthy rivalry with them on the pitch ... I for one will be saying 'Come on you Germans!'"
