Ursula von der Leyen calls on Spain to beat England on Sunday 'to keep trophy in EU'
Ursula von der Leyen did actually live in London in the 1970s when she was a student at the London School of Economics.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, has risked the wrath of England fans by urging Spain to beat the Three Lions in tomorrow’s European Championships final “to keep the trophy in the EU”.
As a citizen of host nation Germany, Ms von der Leyen does not really have an axe to grind - but apparently could not resist wading into the debate.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph in advance of the showdown in Berlin, she said: “In this final, my heart beats for Spain.
“England also has great talents and players. But in this tournament, the Spanish team has consistently shown footballing skills close to perfection.
“I hope that Spain will make sure that this European trophy stays in a glass cabinet in our Union.”
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In particular, mother of seven Ms von der Leyen heaped praise on 17-year-old Lamine Yamal, who plays for Barcelona, describing him as “simply incredible”.
However, she overlooked England midfielder Jude Bellingham, who plays for Real Madrid, as well as skipper and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane, top scorer in the Budesliga last season.
By contrast, her compatriots at the German Embassy in London appeared to be rooting for England, posting on X: “Football is a simple game. Twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the G̶e̶r̶m̶a̶n̶s̶ English always win.
"All the best for the final on Sunday, England! #EURO2024.”
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Her support for Spain is not entirely unexpected, given the EU’s top executive routinely attempts to claim the sporting victories of member states for itself
Nevertheless, some will likely point to the fact that she was in fact a student at the London School of Economics in the late 1970s.
She was enrolled under the fake name Rose Ladson because her father was at the time governor of Lower Saxony, with politicians being targeted at the time by the Left-wing Baader-Meinhof Gang.
Apparently Ms von der Leyen was a big fan of punk music, particularly The Buzzcocks, fronted by Pete Shelley, who migrated from Bolton to London is search of fame after seeing the Sex Pistols.
Speaking at the LSE in 2020, Ms von der Leyen told students: “As anyone who knew me at the time will tell you, I spent more time in Soho bars and Camden record stores than I did reading books.
“I immersed myself in this melting pot of cultures, traditions and music.
"And I truly fell in love with this city and this country
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“This country, strong-willed, open-minded and big-hearted.
"Proud and patriotic. Kind and generous in spirit. Full of traditions and contradictions.”
She used her speech to call for a “new beginning” in relationship between Britain and the EU after Brexit.
Footage shot outside after she left the venue with Michel Barnier showed desperate Remainers chanting “Europe forever”.
England booked their place in the final with a semi-final win over the Netherlands, while Spain did so by beating France by the same scoreline.
